Monte Sierpe, translated as the “serpent mountain,” is located in the Pisco Valley of Southern Peru. The “Serpent Mountain” is known for its thousands of precisely aligned holes to resemble the look of a snake. The purpose of the holes are unknown, which has given way to many different hypotheses of what its functions are. To investigate this, a research team from the University of Sydney analyzed the holes to uncover the truth behind its function.
“Hypotheses regarding Monte Sierpe’s purpose range from defense, storage, and accounting to water collection, fog capture, and gardening,” says digital archeologist and lead author Dr. Jacob Bongers from the University of Sydney. Monte Sierpe has also inspired interesting claims that aliens created this impressive array of holes.
The research team analyzed the site using drone technology and was able to determine numerical patterns in the layout, which hint at an underlying intention in the site’s organization. They also discovered that the arrangement of the holes that form Monte Sierpe is similar to a structure of an ancient knotted-string accounting device (known as an Inca khipu) that was recovered from the same valley.
Several analyses of soil from the holes found ancient pollens of corn, which was one of the most important staple crops in the Andes, as well as wild plants that have traditionally been used for making baskets. These findings indicate that people used these holes to add plants and used woven baskets for transportation. Furthermore, Monte Sierpe is located between two Inca administrative sites and near the intersection of a network of pre-Hispanic roads. It is “positioned in a transitional ecological zone (chaupiyunga) between the highlands and lower coastal plain, a space where groups from both regions would have met and exchanged goods.” All these findings suggest that Monte Sierpe was initially constructed by the pre-Inca Chincha Kingdom and used for regulated barter and exchange, but it later developed into an accounting location during Inca rule.
“This study contributes an important Andean case study on how past communities modified past landscapes to bring people together and promote interaction,” Dr. Bongers concludes. “Our findings expand our understanding of barter marketplaces and the origins and diversity of Indigenous accounting practices within and beyond the ancient Andes.”
