NORTE CHICO, THE FIRST ANDEAN CIVILIZATION

Synopsis

Decoding the stones

The Norte Chico area, on the central coast of Peru, is home to one of the 6 known first human settlements in the world. But how did it all started exactly?

Some archaeologists posit that the initial developments relied on seafood more than agriculture and therefore the first sites emerged on the coasts while others pretend that the inland locations that produced cotton came earlier.

Answering that conundrum is not easy since cotton was needed to weave fishing nets whereas fish was essential to feed cotton workers.