For nearly a century, the Monte Sierpe site in southern Peru — a strange stretch of more than 5,000 carved pits etched into a dusty ridge — has baffled archaeologists.
Often called the “Band of Holes,” it has drawn endless speculation since its discovery in 1933.
Were these cavities graves, storage pits, or something else entirely? Now, researchers from the University of Sydney believe they finally have an answer — and it’s a fascinating one.
The Hidden Marketplace Beneath the Dust
Archaeologist Jacob Bongers and his team took a modern approach to studying this ancient mystery.
Using drone mapping and sediment analysis, they were able to peek inside the enigmatic pits like never before.
What they found changed everything: traces of maize, amaranth, gourds, and cereals, as well as reeds and willow fibers once used in basketry.
These tiny remnants hinted at something much bigger — that Monte Sierpe wasn’t a cemetery or a ceremonial site, but a marketplace.
Goods may have been stored in the pits and traded between coastal sailors and highland llama caravans, connecting communities across the Chincha Valley long before the Incas arrived.
When Trade Became Technology
By the time the Inca Empire swept through the region in the 15th century, researchers say the site likely took on a new meaning.
The pits, arranged in methodical clusters and patterns, appear to mirror the structure of quipu, the Incas’ intricate knot-based counting system used for tracking goods, taxes, and populations.
This suggests Monte Sierpe may have evolved from a practical trading hub into a monumental counting device — a kind of open-air calculator designed for both record-keeping and ritual.
A Civilization That Engineered Communication
To the researchers, Monte Sierpe is more than a curiosity — it’s a window into how ancient Andean societies used architecture as information technology.
Each pit and row may have been part of a grand system for commerce, control, and ceremony, blending economics with spirituality in a way few modern societies could imagine.
As Bongers and his team wrote in their study published in Antiquity, “Monte Sierpe demonstrates the extraordinary ingenuity of ancient Andean societies, merging trade, record-keeping, and ritual into a single architectural vision.”
The Mystery That Still Captivates
While many questions remain — such as who exactly built the first pits and how long they were in use — this latest research has breathed new life into one of South America’s most mystifying archaeological wonders.
The “Band of Holes,” once dismissed as a riddle carved in stone, now stands as a symbol of innovation and interconnection — proof that even centuries ago, human beings were finding inventive ways to turn landscapes into language.