High-resolution satellite imagery has revealed 76 previously undocumented ancient stone structures scattered across steep slopes in Chile’s Camarones River Basin—an arid, high-altitude valley in the Andes. The discovery, made by Chilean archaeologist Adrián Oyaneder, highlights how modern satellite technology is helping researchers uncover traces of ancient structures in remote regions.
The formations, long stone walls, many stretching nearly 500 feet and standing five feet tall, are arranged in patterns that resemble large animal traps. Most are built in pairs, forming a V-shape that funnels into circular stone enclosures. These ancient structures in the Andes appear to be part of a sophisticated system used for hunting wild animals.
Oyaneder, now based at the University of Exeter in England, had been studying satellite photos to trace the presence of early hunter-gatherer groups when he noticed the unusual formations.
He initially questioned whether the images were accurate, but a ground survey confirmed their existence. Nearby residents, unfamiliar with their true purpose, referred to them as donkey traps, a local name that hinted at their function.
NEW Satellite imagery reveals 76 hunting traps and 100s of undiscovered settlements in the Andean highlands, indicating hunting and foraging were still major aspects of life long after researchers believed people transitioned to agropastoralist farming.#AntiquityThread 1/11 🧵 pic.twitter.com/cTS9fmNU7S
— 🅰ntiquity Journal (@AntiquityJ) October 13, 2025
Traps reveal advanced ancient hunting methods
Further research into historical documents, particularly from 20th-century Peru, led Oyaneder to connect the formations with chacu, large-scale Inca hunting traps once used to catch vicuñas, wild animals related to llamas.
Some of the newly identified traps may date back as far as 6,000 years, while others were likely used just a few centuries ago.
The findings, published this week in Antiquity, suggest that communal hunting with chacu persisted long after the introduction of farming and herding. This challenges the long-standing belief that large-scale hunting had mostly vanished in the Andes by the time Spanish colonists arrived in the 1530s.
In addition to the 76 traps, Oyaneder identified nearly 800 stone shelters and campsites nearby, likely used by hunters during the seasonal hunts. The scale of the discovery indicates that such hunting practices were far more widespread than previously believed.
Global parallels point to convergent innovation
Comparable hunting systems, often called desert kites, have been recorded in regions like Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. Though the societies had no contact, the similarity in design reflects what researchers describe as “convergent evolution,” where different cultures independently develop similar technologies.
Experts such as Rémy Crassard of France’s CNRS and David Kennedy of the University of Western Australia praised the research.
Crassard noted its significance in revealing large-scale hunting landscapes through satellite analysis, while Kennedy pointed out strong parallels with traps used in the Middle East and modern methods for managing kangaroo populations.
Oyaneder plans to continue fieldwork in the Andes and train a machine learning system to identify more ancient structures using satellite imagery.
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