China sends archaeologists to South America to trace ancestral links for the first time
Joint project with Peru will start with field surveys in the Caral zone, which is home to the oldest known urban centre in the Americas
Chinese archaeologists are heading to South America for the first field project on the continent in search of ancestral bonds between ancient Chinese and native American civilisations.
The joint archaeological team will start the project with field surveys exploring the basins of the Chancay-Huaral and Supe rivers and key sites such as the Sacred City of Caral and the coastal settlement of Aspero.
Jia Xiaobing from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Archaeology, who led the Chinese delegation in Supe, said the collaboration would cover field surveys and excavations, the use of advanced technologies in archaeology, heritage conservation and researcher training.
The archaeological community believes that Chinese and American civilisations descended from the same ancestor.
Despite being separated by vast oceans, Chinese and Peruvian civilisations share interesting similarities in areas such as astronomical observation and spiritual beliefs, according to a statement from Jia’s institute.