Notes on Sources of Knowledge in Ancient South America
- Knowledge of ancient South America generally comes from three sources: Spanish contact chronicles and reports, archaeology, and modern ethnography.
- Chronicles were numerous but biased by authors' agendas:
- Soldiers: quest for gold and land.
- Priests: seeking converts and end paganism.
- Officials from the Crown: reported on resources and labor groups.
- Consequences of these agendas:
- Many questions were never asked; chronicles conflict with one another.
- Notable omissions: no Spaniard truly saw the Inca build their walls; no one asked how They wrote with knotted strings or what they knew about the stars.
Archaeology
- Began in response to looting of gold and artifacts from South America, especially along the coasts of Peru.
- Purpose: find artifacts before they were all gone.
- Today: archaeology in South America is a fast-growing source of information and protection for ancient sites.
Modern ethnography
- A good potential source for understanding the past.
- Modern descendants can contribute ideas about how their lives today relate to the lives of their ancestors.
Earliest Human Habitation
- Fragmentary note referencing early habitation in South America, mentioning sites such as Monto Wondo (text fragment: “Monto Wondo and …”).
- Indicates an awareness of early human habitation, though the wording is incomplete in the transcript.