Pre-Inca live-parrot trade networks

Ancient DNA and isotope evidence from funerary bundles in Pachacamac show parrots native to Amazonian rainforests were transported alive over 500+ km and the Andes to coastal Peru, where they ate coastal foods and became part of ritual practice. This indicates planned, sustained transport and husbandry of charismatic birds well before Inca roads existed. — Reframes pre-Columbian connectivity by showing animal trade and live-animal logistics were sophisticated cultural practices with ecological and social consequences across regions.