Ahh I watched this program on the ancient south american cultures and these guys were on it was amazing, I prefer reading on here than the program though!

Fantastic!

Wow, one of the most informative posts I've seen in a while. Very well written, S&F
Can't wait to see the documentary!

Great thread. I saw the BBC documentary on them last week.

One thing is appearent, most people equate caucasoid with blonde hair, that is most incorrect.
Caucasoid skeletal morphology has nothing to do with hair color, in fact most caucasians, DO NOT HAVE BLONDE HAIR. Also people equate caucasians with Europeans, that is not the case at all. Caucasoid is a very distinct type of skeletal and dental morphology and has nothing to do with hair and or skin color.
Blonde hair is rare, even in European populations, and can be traced to a small ,very recent Eurasian imigrants into northern Europe, 3-5k years ago.
Red hair has been linked to Homo Heidlbergensis and neanderthals, it predates modern humans by several hundred thousand years.
It's my opinion that blonde and red hair in modern humans can be traced to an indiginous new world population that has been replaced by various waves of people from northeast Asia, whom just happen to be their descendants.
It is likely that "white skin" evolved in a central Eurasian population in response to diminished levels of sun light after the Toba eruption. This is an evolutionary adaptation to make more vitamin D.
Or my own theory is that an already lighter skinned people spent several generations in a low light area, such as an area that perpetually shrouded in dense fog, such as the central valley of California.
During the last ice age, the waterlogged san Joaquin valley would have been one of the foggiest places on earth.
Today here, with a wet winter the fog sets in and there have been times where you could not see the sun from the middle of November to the first days of February, literally two months where the best you get a dull glowing orb through the mists.
Even the local native Americans' mythology reflects the lack of sunlight in tales about coyote stealing the sun from or for the valley or mountain people

An important consideration for the ancestral spirit figures and in particular the sarcophogi is that in their positions perched high on the cliffs they are thought to be considered as overlooking nearby lakes, that of course takes us right back to Puma Punku and a cult that would have been associated with lake Titicaca.

These are Wari figurines from that region, depicting the type of Deity we are concerned with for Puma Punku and Tiwanaku, the Chachapoya ancestor type.










Indulging in a little world wide comparative mythology we find examples such as this below from Nigeria;


n Benin the number three is associated with otherworldly powers. U-shaped waist pendants depicting the oba supported by two attendants were worn in sets of three by the oba and certain high-ranking officials. The abundant coral regalia worn by the oba, at center, identify him with Olokun, the god of the waters. The supernaturally charged stone bead (ivie egbo), worn at his chest, signifies his legitimacy









Or from Papau New Guinea we find,


Mindja, one of three types of carvings are recognizable by their large size, prominent nose, and rows of upturned spikes or spears that represent snakes. Mindja carvings are said to represent water spirits living in the lakes that are sometimes seen just under the surface of the water.







Of course when it comes to figures of this type overlooking waters then the Moai of Easter island are going to come in first place.

The creation myths from the Tiwanaku region indicate first creation from the waters of Lake Titicaca, with those waters being a metaphor for the 'cosmic waters'.


Thanks for the appreciation and interest with regards to replies...