Rethinking Nicaraguan history

For generations, Nicaraguan children have been taught that their ancestors came from central Mexico as migrants around 1000 AD, and that in 1300, a second wave made the trek. Both were believed to have brought their Aztec or Nahua culture and language with them. . .

But Geoff McCafferty, an archeologist at the University of Calgary, said his team of researchers has recovered 400,000 artifacts from what is believed to be the country's ancient capital of Quauhcapolca, yet they haven't detected Nahua roots.

"There's a whole series of lines of evidence now that don't match the expectations of the Nahua community," Dr. McCafferty said yesterday as he unveiled some of the artifacts the Nicaraguan government allowed him to remove. "This is going to have serious repercussions, I think, when we start rewriting the history of people in Nicaragua because the group from which all the history is derived is wrong."

Posted by David on August 27, 2004 5:58 PM