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Friday, 20th April 2007 (1982 views)

Ancient Peruvians living in the central Andes Mountains managed to smelt metals around 1,000 AD, according to recent studies.

The University of Alberta has found that tribes living in the area may have been forced to melt down precious metals such as gold and silver in order to trade and pay taxes – a feat which was previously thought to be beyond them.

Researchers at the university, led by Colin Cooke, found that previous evidence related to metal smelting in the area was based on metal artefacts dating back to the Wari Empire, which was in existence before the Incas.

However, using new evident garnered from the analysis of metals in sediments, the researchers were able to discover that metal smelting began up to 600 years before the Spanish arrived.

The discoveries showed that locals may have switch production from precious metals such as gold, and in particular silver, to copper, about the time that the Inca rulers introduced a tax on local populations, which was payable in the rarer metals.

 

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