What's the state on the idea that trade existed between Polynesians and pre-Columbian natives on the South American coast? Has there been more evidence to support the theories like the spread of chickens and sweet potatoes? Or have the theories been found wanting?

by Paulie_Gatto
Chumbeque

Funny you ask that because I was reading something about this just last week.

Yes, more evidence has been found, specifically this, basically declaring that these skeletons, who have been dated as roughly a thousand years old, have unmistakable polynesian characteristics that indicate there was interbreeding between indigenous american peoples and polynesians. These findings in particular were done in the continent while prior similar excavations were done in islands off the continent.

This evidence also shows that contact wasn't just happenstance and that there was some frequent, if sporadic, contact between the two groups.

This is the most solid evidence so far, as the chicken DNA has been disputed in some circles and the linguistic similarities can still be attributed to coincidence.

Of course there's some even more fringe theories like something I read a few weeks ago about Moais having been found off the coast of Chile in some islands, but I won't provide further info because the sources felt a little bit, well, sketchy.