(AP) LIMA, PERU: A joint archaeological expedition composed of experts
from a number of universities has uncovered some new
and astounding information in the Andes. The Joint
Andean Cultural Archaeology Survey Expedition has
recently discovered a number of startling artifacts in
the tomb of an Incan priest. Several of these would
seem to indicate that there was some form of cultural
communication and exchange occurring among various of
the ancient native civilizations of Central and South
America, more so than had been previously supposed.
Most notable among the finds were a number of
artifacts that bore some form of hieroglyphic writing
and pictograms that were very similar to those used by
the Maya of Central America.
Dr. Thomas H. Mathis of Vanderbilt University stated,
"This was quite unexpected, as the Inca didn’t really
have a system of writing, and were not known to use
one. The glyphs we see here definitely resemble Mayan,
which is incredible in and of itself, but they aren’t
actual Mayan glyphs. They may be some sort of derived
version. Many of the materials that make up the
artifacts also are not native to this area of the
Andes, such as the lowlands woods and the various
clays and stones that didn’t come from the local
formations.
"Some of the artifacts also appear to clearly pre-date
the Inca Empire, and the classical Mayan period, as
well! It’s a puzzle, but an exciting one, and we
certainly expect to learn much by trying to solve it!"
