VISIBILITY AND GLOBAL IMPACT
The Montegrande archaeological project has achieved global impact by revealing historical evidence that rewrites the origin of cacao and deepens our understanding of pre-Columbian civilizations. Thanks to its unique scientific and cultural relevance, it has captured the attention of international media, academics and tourists, positioning itself as a world reference in Amazonian archaeology. Its visibility continues to grow, connecting Peru with the world and strengthening the ancestral legacy for future generations.
IMPACT IN PERU AND THE WORLD
Huaca Montegrande is being recognized both for its important discoveries about the Marañón culture and its impact on the understanding of ancestral Amazonian cultures, as well as for its role in the knowledge of the origin of cacao, its domestication, and its subsequent exchange and dissemination in other territories.
On November 15, 2024, the Heads of State and Government of Andorra, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela, signed a special declaration in the framework of the XXIX Ibero-American Summit on the Ibero-American Cacao and Chocolate Route, held in Cuenca, Ecuador.
In this declaration, the Huaca Montegrande is recognized as a fundamental part of this route. Article 9 states that the countries are committed to “promote an Ibero-American Cacao and Chocolate Route that recognizes the Amazonian origin of cacao and that begins in Palanda, Ecuador, and passes through Montegrande, Jaén, Cajamarca, Peru, highlights the origin, domestication and use of Theobroma cacao and its millenary history as a symbol of the union of Ibero-America, consider all the ancestral knowledge generated by the native American cultures, as well as facilitate spaces for dialogue so that research experiences, knowledge and practices are shared in horizontal inter-regional dialogues, and strengthen tourism, employment and sustainable development of the communities that are the guardians of cacao”.
Foto: Santiago Uceda
In 2013, Montegrande's archaeological investigations were recognized by the Shanghai Archaeology Forum and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which nominated them as “One of the Ten Best Archaeological Discoveries in the World”. Also, in 2018, the Mayor of the City of Glen Cove, New York, United States, awarded a distinction in recognition of these findings.
At the national level, Huaca Montegrande has managed to become a symbol of identity and pride for the local community, which has enthusiastically embraced its cultural heritage. This valuable archaeological site is not only part of the history, but also of the present and future of the region.
Teachers and their students visit it frequently, turning it into an open classroom where learning and connection with the past are intertwined in a lively and enriching way. The huaca has become so deeply integrated into daily life that its legacy is reflected in every corner of the place: in educational institutions, restaurants, hotels, travel agencies, streets and squares. Even the garbage collection trucks carry images that pay homage to this ancestral treasure. Thus, Montegrande is not only preserved in time, but is lived and celebrated, strengthening the bond between generations and reaffirming the cultural richness shared by all.
In April 2023, the Peruvian Ministry of Culture awarded Dr. Quirino Olivera the distinction of Meritorious Personality of Culture. In 2019, the Congress of the Republic of Peru also recognized him, and in 2021, on the occasion of the bicentennial celebration, the Regional Government of Cajamarca and the Provincial Municipality of Jaén granted a special distinction for the archaeological research in Montegrande.
Foto: Elmer Leyva
Foto: Heinz Plenge
FROM JAÉN TO THE WORLD: DIFFUSION AND VISIBILITY
The communication program of the Montegrande Archaeological Center is developed through various media and platforms, reaching an impact both locally, nationally and internationally. Disseminating the historical work of Montegrande not only brings to light the origins of cocoa, but also opens new doors to the understanding of our roots, of the Marañón culture, and of the ancestral legacy that connects the Amazon with the world.
On November 9, 2024, the television program “Discovering the Mysteries of the World” on the Japanese channel TBS, which has been broadcast on Saturday nights for 38 years, presented a three-hour special of which the last half hour was devoted to the archaeological finds in Montegrande and the Amazonian origin of cacao. A few days earlier, on November 1, the evidence of the world's oldest Theobroma cacao discovered at Montegrande in the Peruvian Amazon was also presented by Dr. Quirino Olivera at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris, France, this time before thousands of spectators eager to learn about our discoveries. For the first time in the 25 years of existence of this renowned salon, a country presented archaeological evidence on the origin, domestication and use of Theobroma cacao.
On March 7, 2024, the surprising findings of 5,300-year-old Theobroma cacao, discovered in Montegrande, were published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports by the University of Montpellier, France, with the participation of 23 scientists from various countries around the world.
On February 16, 2023, NOVA aired the film entitled Ancient Builders of the Amazon, produced by filmmaker and anthropologist Dr. Graham Townsley on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States of America, which includes the Montegrande archaeological investigations.
Foto: Iñigo Maneiro
Watch the excerpt from the PBS NOVA documentary “Ancient Builders of the Amazon”, from the United States, which reports on the discoveries at Huaca Montegrande. To see the full documentary, go to the PBS Youtube page, by clicking HERE.
* All rights reserved by PBS NOVA.