Huge team of archaeologists work to recover treasures from 3000-Year-Old site in Colombia

More than one hundred archaeologists have been working tirelessly on a 3,000-year-old site near Bogota that experts believe could reveal new insights into Colombia's pre-Hispanic people.  The ancient site was found by chance during land surveys preceding the construction of an electrical substation.  The construction project has now been halted while archaeologists work quickly to recover thousands of priceless remains.

The discovery had been heralded as Columbia’s largest excavation site, with some 170 archaeologists scouring through 7.8 hectares of ruins and artefacts.  Already, more than 30,000 ceramic pieces have been recovered at the dig site, as well as human bones and teeth. But this is only just scratching the surface.

Archaeologists believe that the site, which is located in the rural area of Soacha, just south of Bogota, is the remains of an ancient village once inhabited by the Herrera people.  The Herrera culture existed as far back as 900 BC in the country's central highlands. They made ceramics, developed agricultural skills and used seasonal camps.

“It's unique for various reasons. Firstly, the possibility of documenting a form of village life that is not recurrent in Colombian archaeology and this is also because of the extent of the excavations in generation terms, we're talking about archaeological excavations of about 7.8 hectares. An excavation of this magnitude will allow us to track changes in the way of life, urban changes so to speak at the site,” said archaeologist John Alexander Gonzalez.

The excavations and subsequent studies at the site is expected to take two years to complete when some of the priceless remains are expected to go on show to the public.

By April Holloway