1,000 ancient tombs found in Colombia linked to two little-known civilizations

[Judi Lynn]

1,000 ancient tombs found in Colombia linked to two little-known civilizations

Washington, May 10 : An ancient burial site in Colombia, uncovered by builders clearing land for a housing project, has revealed 1,000 ancient tombs linked to two little-known civilizations.

According to a report in National Geographic News, the tombs range in date from around the first century to the 16th century AD, based on analysis of pottery found with the remains.

The site covers some 12 acres (5 hectares) in the impoverished Usme district in southeast Bogota.

The first 500 years of the site's use date to the so-called Herrera period, when several small, obscure groups thrived in this region of the Andean highlands during the development of agriculture.

"The agriculture became more intensive, more systematic at this time," said Ana Maria Groot, one of the lead anthropologists from the National University of Colombia working at the site.
"We have high expectations about finding what kinds of plants they cultivated," she added.

From around AD 500 to 1500, the site seems to have been occupied by the Muisca, another culture that is one of Colombia's most important but least understood civilizations.

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