New research suggests seabird guano helped transform the Chincha Kingdom into one of the most prosperous societies in ancient Peru. Chemical clues in centuries-old maize show farmers fertilized their ...

Seabird guano fertilization boosted maize production in ancient Peru, fueling Chincha wealth, trade networks, and strategic Inca alliances.

This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. The use of seabird poop as a fertilizer for corn and other food crops supported the ...

In 1532, in the city of Cajamarca, Peru, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro and a group of Europeans took the Inca ruler Atahualpa hostage, setting the stage for the fall of the Inca Empire.

Seabird poop, along with food waste, feathers and carcasses, accumulates as guano, which is prized as a nutrient-rich fertilizer. Richard McManus via Getty Images Before the Inca civilization rose to ...

In 1532, in the city of Cajamarca, Peru, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro and a group of Europeans took the Inca ruler Atahualpa hostage, setting the stage for the fall of the Inca Empire.

CHINCHA VALLEY, PERU—According to a statement released by the University of Sydney, seabird guano may have been a major factor in the rise of Peru’s precolonial Chincha Kingdom, a powerful coastal ...

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...

The pre-Inca Chincha Kingdom (circa 1000-1400 CE), along Peru’s southern coast, was one of the most wealthy and influential of its time before falling to the Inca and Spanish empires. Scientists have ...

New archaeological evidence reveals that seabird guano—nutrient-rich bird droppings—was not only essential to boosting corn yields and supercharging agriculture in ancient Peru, but it may have been a ...

Powerful fertiliser based on seabird droppings may have fuelled the rise of a Peruvian agricultural kingdom 900 years ago and helped drive its eventual takeover by the Incas. Chemical analyses of ...