Archaeologists working in Bolivia have uncovered a cache of copper bells that once produced the sacred sounds ancient Andean communities used during rituals tied to the Incas and their farming calendar, according to a new study.
The bells were found buried inside a storage building in the Yampara region of southern Bolivia, an area that came under Inca control between roughly 1300 and 1536 AD.
The find was made at a site called Yoroma, located in the Oroncota Valley, once home to the Yampara people within the larger Charcas confederation. Researchers say the offering was placed inside a “qollqa,” a circular stone structure the Incas used to store crops such as maize and potatoes.
Alongside six large copper bells, the bundle contained a small stone carving shaped like an ear of maize, a shell from a large land snail, a polishing stone, and clappers used to make the bells ring.
Sacred sounds of ancient Inca bells come to light
The study, led by Sonia Alconini of the University of Virginia and Walter Sánchez-Canedo of the Universidad Mayor de San Simón in Bolivia, was published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal.
Alconini and Sánchez-Canedo argue that the bells were not simply decorative. Instead, they say the instruments were shaken together during ceremonies meant to secure a strong harvest and protect the community’s food supply.
Each bell was hammered or cast from a copper sheet and folded into a pyramid shape, with a small stone or shell clapper hanging inside to create sound. The bells were arranged in three separate groups, each producing a different tone, from soft and low to sharp and bright.
Chemical testing showed the bells were made mostly of copper mixed with tin, along with small traces of arsenic, nickel, and iron, a blend researchers say points to skilled metalworking traditions from farther south, possibly Tarija, northwestern Argentina, or northern Chile.
Ancient bell rituals still echo in modern Andean festivals
The researchers connect the discovery to a celebration still held today. During Carnival, Jalq’a and Tarabuco communities in the region honor a spirit known as Tata Pujllay with dancing, flutes, and bells tied around dancers’ chests, welcoming the harvest season much as their ancestors may have done.
Smaller bells were also found elsewhere at the site, worn as personal jewelry by residents of higher status.
Researchers say the shells and stones buried with the bells came from far-off regions, showing that Yampara communities took part in long-distance trade networks that stretched across the southern Andes long before and during Inca rule.
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