Suriname's New President Has Her Work Cut Out For Herself

Getting the House in Order: Suriname’s New President Has Her Work Cut Out For Her Suriname This month, Suriname got its first female president, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, following an election in May, in which her party won by one seat. The doctor and former parliamentary speaker, who was elected leader by parliament on July 6, is now charged with steering the small South American nation of close to 650,000 people on the eve of a looming oil boom. She has a lot of work to do, say analysts. “Suriname is a country in which natural resource wealth, cultural diversity, political complexity, corruption, and danger form a tapestry of contradictions,” wrote the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  For the past 15 years, the former Dutch colony has been governed by three men who formed a plundering, corrupt triangle the country could not escape from – until now, say analysts. The country was run by a military ruler in the 1980s, dictator-cum-democrat Dési Bouterse of the National Development Party (NDP), who came to power in two different coups, in 1980 and 1990. He returned to power after elections in 2010 and 2015 even as he was wanted on national and international warrants for drug trafficking and murder. He died in December while a fugitive from justice. Another player in the triangle is former Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, Bouterse’s former bodyguard, who turned against him and became a guerrilla leader in the 1980s. Wanted by the Netherlands for cocaine trafficking, he has been leading a party he started for Maroon voters (the descendants of escaped African slaves). He joined a coalition with the NDP before changing allegiance to form a government with Chandrikapersad Santokhi of the Progressive Reform Party, a former police chief who prosecuted Bouterse before he himself was elected president in 2020. As a result of his dealmaking with Santokhi, Brunswijk, also a businessman with interests in timber and gold, was put in charge of the ministries that oversee forests and resources. Meanwhile, Santokhi, as president from 2020 to 2025, appointed his wife to the supervisory board of the national oil company. The problem, some analysts say, is the system. Suriname is one of the most diverse countries in the world, made up of Indians, Africans, Javanese, Indigenous groups, Chinese, Europeans, and others. Its system is designed to accommodate that diversity and promote consensus. However, some believe the fractured system has also allowed for corruption, nepotism, and the dominance of strongmen. As a result, its leadership often gets its hands dirty. Adding to the problem is Suriname’s status as a key drug-trafficking hub in the region. Almost all past presidents have been convicted of involvement with drugs. Bouterse’s son Dino is in prison in the United States for trafficking in drugs and arms – and attempting to help Lebanon’s Hezbollah set up a terrorist training camp. By way of stark contrast, Greelings-Simons is scandal-free, with a reputation for getting things done. Suriname needs that desperately, say analysts. That’s because things are about to change because of its natural resources. The Surinamese are now hoping to mimic neighboring Guyana, where the gross domestic product per capita increased 41 percent last year to almost $31,000 annually, more than four times greater than Suriname’s $7,600 per capita. The recent approval of the $12.2 billion, 1.4 million-acre GranMorgu project in Suriname with French oil company TotalEnergies is expected to deliver similar windfalls. By 2028, the project is expected to pump as much as 220,000 barrels per day from offshore fields containing 760 million barrels in total. Meanwhile, drillers have already generated more than $300 million a year for Suriname’s treasury for three years in a row – a previously unheard-of haul there. That could cause a problem for a country that is so steeped in criminality and corruption and with a bankrupt economy. Still, its population, mired in poverty, is determined to share in the wealth and have a say in how it is spent, wrote Global Americans. In this past election, voters told the Economist that they wanted something new, something more than the “men who only line their pockets,” and chose a woman as a change. They now hope she can deliver. To do that, Karel Eckhorst of the International Monetary Fund told the magazine that the country needs more than wealth: “Oil isn’t the magic bullet,” he said. “Good governance is.”  Share this story

Brasil's Eye-Opening Message To The American People Is Going Virile

BuzzFeed Brazil's President's Eye-Opening Message To The American People Is Going Super Viral Matt Stopera Mon, July 21, 2025 at 9:49 a.m. PDT·3 min read Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro is on trial for allegedly attempting to overturn his 2022 election loss with a coup plot. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted. A person in a blue jacket holds a microphone, speaking with a concerned expression. The background is out of focus MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL / AFP via Getty Images Related: Hillary Clinton Just Hit On One Of Donald Trump's Biggest Insecurities With Three Words After Bolsonaro lost the election, his supporters stormed Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace. People in sports attire break windows of a modern building with metal barriers TON MOLINA / AFP via Getty Images Sound familiar? Large crowd of people in Brazil jerseys gathered outside a modern government building, waving Brazilian flags SERGIO LIMA / AFP via Getty Images It's kind of like Brazil's version of Jan. 6. Protest near the U.S. Capitol featuring a wooden gallows, noose, and multiple flags, including a "Trump Make America Great Again" flag NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images Related: A Picture Of Donald Trump's Face Being Two Completely Different Colors Is Going Viral For Obvious Reasons Sooo, Brazil’s Supreme Court has raided Bolsonaro’s home, put him on an ankle monitor, and banned him from social media and foreign contacts. A person in a formal suit speaking at a public event with a serious expression Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images Meeeeeanwhile, Trump has been defending Bolsonaro on Truth Social, posting a letter saying, "I’ll be watching the WITCH HUNT of Jair Bolsonaro, his family, and thousands of his supporters, very closely. The only Trial that should be happening is a Trial by the Voters of Brazil — It’s called an Election. LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!" I don’t know who this is, but they appear to be a mature person in a suit and tie, outdoors, looking serious Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Related: JD Vance’s Old Epstein Tweets Are Coming Back To Haunt Him In A Big Way Trump also posted a letter to current Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, threatening to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods and calling the trial of Bolsonaro a "Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!" Man in a suit and USA hat speaks at a table with presidential seal, flanked by U.S. flags, during a formal event Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images Now that you have the backstory, Brazil's president was interviewed by CNN about all of this, and his message to the American people is going viral: CNN/Ronxyz00/Twitter: @Ronxyz00 ADVERTISEMENT "I want to say something to the American people: If Trump was Brazilian and if he did what happened at Capitol Hill, he’d also be on trial in Brazil. And possibly he would have violated the Constitution. According to the justices, he would also be arrested if he had done that here in Brazil." CNN/Ronxyz00/Twitter: @Ronxyz00 CNN/Ronxyz00/Twitter: @Ronxyz00 Related: “He Told People That?”: Jon Stewart Was Seriously Shocked By What A Report Is Saying Elon Musk Revealed To People Close To Him People in the replies are saying some sort of version of this: "America is not a serious country anymore." CNN news segment featuring Brazilian President discussing charges against Jair Bolsonaro and comparing events to the Capitol incident in the U.S CNN/Ty_GT_6/x.com This person commented, "We're a joke to the rest of the planet. We're like the parent in the grocery store who will never discipline their child who is screaming and throwing literal shit at other customers." Tweet criticizing parenting, likening it to Brazil. News headline: Brazil's president speaks on charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro CNN/dr_nocturnl/x.com Another person shared this picture: Top tweet: Cartoon character listening. Bottom: News segment shows a man discussing a quote about Trump, Brazil, and the Constitution trial CNN/canuck_chuck_/x.com And this person asked, "Can we deport trump to Brazil and put him in trial there instead?" Screenshot of a tweet discussing Donald Trump and Brazil, with an image from CNN of the Brazilian President addressing charges against Jair Bolsonaro CNN/rebeluvr/x.com Also in In the News: "My Generation Will Never Forgive You": 25 Of The Very Best And Very True Political Tweets From The Last Week Also in In the News: AOC Just Tweeted What So Many Are Thinking After Trump's Sudden 180 On The Epstein Files Also in In the News: People Are Howling At This New Portrait Of Donald Trump In The Colorado State Capitol After He Complained About The Old One Read it on BuzzFeed.com

Brasil's Lawmakers Approve Controversial Environmental Bill Ahead of COP30

Brazil’s Lawmakers Approve Controversial Environmental Bill Ahead of COP30 Brazil Brazilian lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that significantly weakens environmental protections by loosening land licensing, a move environmentalists say is the most severe setback to Brazil’s environmental program in 40 years, the Guardian reported. The new law, which critics call the “devastation bill,” was passed by the lower house of the legislature on Thursday by 267 votes to 116. The Senate passed the bill in May. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva now has two weeks to sign the bill or veto it. If he does veto the bill, however, it’s likely the legislature will overturn it. Analysts say this would likely spark a legal battle in the Supreme Court over the law’s constitutionality. Proponents of the bill say the process needs to be reformed because it is agonizingly slow. At the same time, Brazilian business leaders see the environmental permitting process as a barrier to development. Analysts say the impetus behind the bill was the long wait by state-run oil firm Petrobras to get a permit to drill for oil in the state of Amapá, a region in the Amazon with a fragile ecosystem and one of the poorest in Brazil. Meanwhile, critics say the bill permits projects deemed to have “medium” polluting potential to secure environmental licenses through a self-declared online form, bypassing prior impact assessment or regulatory oversight. This fast-track process used to only be allowed for low-risk activities. Now, it will affect about 90 percent of licensing procedures in the country, including mining and most agricultural activities. Opponents add that it would lead to large-scale deforestation and increase the risk of human-caused climate disasters, according to Reuters. Legal experts have already said the law violates the Constitution and previous Supreme Court rulings. Brazil will host the United Nations COP30 climate conference in November in the Amazon region, with critics adding that the law undermines the credibility of Brazil when it comes to environmental safeguards.

Chile Now Has The Most Incredible Observatories On Earth

A new telescope will find billions of asteroids, galaxies and stars The Vera Rubin Observatory captures unprecedented detail The Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae Image: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Jun 23rd 2025 On april 15th, at 8pm local time, the Vera Rubin Observatory recorded its very first photons of starlight. At first, the images that filled the screens in the control room on Cerro Pachón, 2,500 metres high on the foothills of the Andes in northern Chile, looked like a field of snowy static on an old television. But, zoomed in, the spots soon resolved into an uncountable number of stars and galaxies floating between enormous, wispy clouds of dust, like tiny multicoloured flecks of paint spattered across a vast black wall. “There was this huge amount of cheering and screaming, people were getting teary-eyed,” recalls Alysha Shugart, an observing specialist at Rubin who watched the events unfold on the night. “Those little photons had no idea of the red carpet that was rolled out for their reception.” The arrival of those photons—many from ancient stars and galaxies and which had been travelling across the universe for billions of years—marked a neat moment of symmetry. It had been exactly ten years since work had started on Cerro Pachón to build the observatory; it also marked the start of a ten-year project—the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)—that will see Rubin’s telescope (pictured below) repeatedly take ultra-high-resolution pictures of the entire night sky of the southern hemisphere every three or four days. In the coming decade Rubin will see more detail about the cosmos, and unlock more of its unknowns, than any machine that has come before. It will collect so much information—trillions of data points on more than 40bn new stars, galaxies and other cosmic objects—so quickly that it will transform astronomy in its wake. For a behind-the-scenes tour of the Rubin Observatory, listen to our two-part podcast series and watch our video In its first year alone, it will double the amount of data collected so far by every other instrument in the history of optical astronomy. Every night, the telescope will gather 20 terabytes of raw images and, over the course of the LSST, the observatory and its scientists will produce more than 500 petabytes of images and analysis. For the first time astronomers will also have a decade-long time-lapse of the night sky. The Rubin Observatory with its dome open in April 2025 Image: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory That last part is what has scientists most expectant. Astronomical observatories until now have focused on taking detailed snapshots of tiny points in the night sky. But “the sky and the world aren’t static,” says Yusra AlSayyad, a researcher at Princeton University who oversees Rubin’s image-processing algorithms. “There are asteroids zipping by, supernovae exploding.” Many of those fast or transient objects can only be seen by big observatories if they happen to be pointed in exactly the right direction at exactly the right time. “Today we don’t really have a very full, wide and deep picture of the universe,” says Leanne Guy, a physicist at Rubin. The LSST will fix that gap. With its 1.7-metre-long, 3,200-megapixel camera—the biggest digital camera ever built—Rubin will have an enormous field of view, equivalent to an area of sky covered by 45 full Moons. One of the first pictures released by Rubin, just a tiny chunk of a full-size exposure, shows sections of the Virgo Cluster, a group of galaxies that are 55 million light years from Earth. Part of the Virgo cluster, a group of galaxies that are 55 million light years from Earth Image: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory The camera will be fed starlight reflected off a primary mirror that is 8.4m wide and which took scientists at the University of Arizona seven years to grind into its unique shape. Despite their size, the mirrors, telescope and the giant silver dome that houses it can all move together extremely fast. The telescope will be able to take an image every 30 seconds and its “brain”—a piece of software known as the scheduler—will use machine-learning algorithms to automatically work out the best places to point the camera every night as it attempts to cover as much of the sky as possible while also avoiding obstructions, such as clouds or satellites streaking overhead. Over the course of a decade, each point in the sky will be photographed around 800 times. Celestial surveillance In an image released this week by the Rubin team, for example, stitching together ten hours of observations, astronomers identified more than 2,000 asteroids in the solar system that had never been seen before. For comparison, around 20,000 asteroids are discovered in total every year by all other ground and space-based observatories. During the LSST, Rubin will conduct the most detailed census yet of millions of as-yet-unknown objects in the solar system, finding around 70% of asteroids classed as “potentially hazardous”, ie, bigger than 140 metres wide and which might come near Earth. If, as some scientists reckon, there is a ninth planet hidden in the clouds of rocks somewhere far beyond Neptune, Rubin will find it. A view of the Virgo cluster, showing the depth of field of Rubin’s camera Video: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory The census-taking will stretch far beyond the solar system. Because the LSST camera will keep coming back to the same point in the sky many times during its decade-long survey, astronomers will be able to combine many images of the same location. The fainter an object, the farther away and older it is likely to be and, therefore, hundreds of stacked images will eventually reveal the very earliest stars and galaxies. By recording details—such as the colours, shapes, positions and movements—of more than 17bn stars and 20bn galaxies, Rubin is expected to produce a catalogue of the night sky that cosmologists can then use to build their most detailed picture yet of the early universe and examine how it has evolved over time. That will be crucial for two of the prime goals of the observatory—understanding the nature of dark matter and of dark energy. It is this dark universe for which Rubin was first conceived in the late 1990s. The observatory’s namesake, Vera Rubin, was an American astronomer who, in the 1970s, made her name by showing that the stars at the edge of the nearby Andromeda galaxy were moving just as fast as those at the centre, impossible if only normal matter was present. Her discovery provided evidence of the existence of “dark” matter, which cannot be seen and interacts with normal matter only through gravity. Two decades later, scientists discovered an even bigger hole in the universe—a mysterious substance was found to be accelerating the rate at which space was expanding. Dark energy, as this phenomenon was called, made up 68% of the mass in the universe, with dark matter accounting for approximately 27% more. Only around 5% comes from the familiar “normal” matter that makes up stars, planets, dust and everything on Earth. Understanding how the invisible dark universe behaves depends on better observations of the visible one. One of the ways in which Rubin’s LSST will help is by measuring how the light from very distant galaxies is distorted by the gravitational force of the matter between them and Earth. These measurements will give astronomers details about how matter is arrayed in the universe and also how it is moving. Both are important clues to the nature of the dark universe. The southern night sky viewed through the Rubin observatory’s roof Image: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory The study of dark energy, in particular, will get a boost. The phenomenon was discovered in the 1990s when scientists were studying the movements of the few dozen supernovae that they knew about at the time. Rubin will, according to the scientists working there, be a “supernova factory”, potentially discovering billions more of these exploding stars, providing cosmologists with a vastly bigger data set to study the way that dark energy behaves. To manage Rubin’s gargantuan amounts of data, scientists have built a bespoke intercontinental network of computers. Less than ten seconds after the LSST camera’s shutters close every day, dedicated optical fibres will transfer everything to the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California (backups will go to data centres in France and Britain). At SLAC, algorithms will clean up the images and look for objects that have, say, appeared for the first time or significantly changed position or brightness since the previous night. These changes—there will probably be millions per night—will be winnowed down into a priority list which other astronomers (and members of the public) can follow up with more detailed direct observations of their own. All of this will happen autonomously. “There’s absolutely no way any human being could go through these alerts by eye,” says Dr Guy. “There’s no way.” The LSST will begin in October. Meanwhile, the instruments on Cerro Pachón will be tested and calibrated. Though Rubin’s primary mission is set, the scientists who have built the observatory know that what they ultimately have at their disposal is a discovery machine. “What I’m most excited about seeing from Rubin in the long term,” says Dr Guy, “are the things we’ve never even thought about.” Correction (June 24th 2025): In the original version of this story, we underestimated the number of supernovae that scientists knew about in the 1990s. This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “My God, it’s full of stars”

U.S. Threatens High Tariffs If Bolsonaro Trial Continues

‘Witch Hunt’: US Threatens High Tariffs on Brazil if Bolsonaro’s Trial Continues Brazil Brazilian officials on Thursday said they were outraged by US interference in their affairs after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap the country with 50 percent tariffs for putting former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro on trial, a move he called a “Witch Hunt,” CNN reported. “Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote in a post on X. “Any measure to increase tariffs unilaterally will be responded to in light of Brazil’s Law of Economic Reciprocity.” The post was in response to one on Wednesday by Trump, who accused Lula of undertaking a “Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!” Bolsonaro, who has often boasted of his close ties to Trump, is currently on trial for allegedly plotting a coup to overthrow Lula after losing the 2022 presidential election and to murder the current president and other top officials. He disputes the charges as politically motivated. Bolsonaro is already banned from running for office until 2030. Meanwhile, Brazil, which promised to fight back hard against the tariffs, is one of only a handful of countries to stand up to the United States’ threat of tariffs, analysts said. The reciprocity law allows trade, investment, and intellectual property agreements to be halted against countries that harm Brazil’s competitiveness, according to the Associated Press. Unlike many other countries facing US tariffs, the impact of Brazil imposing these levies would be felt more in the US: Last year, the US had a $6.8 billion trade surplus with Brazil, and over the past 15 years, the US has had a cumulative trade surplus of more than $410 billion with the country. Other countries have complained that the US is weaponizing tariffs to interfere in domestic matters. Earlier this year, the US threatened 25 percent tariffs on Colombian exports, which increased to 50 percent when Colombia refused to accept deportees from the US – Colombia later accepted the deal and prevented the tariffs. Trump also slapped tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China, blaming them for contributing to illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl into the US. Share this story

Paraguay Chases Crime Lords And Economic Growth

Paraguay Chases Crime Lords and Economic Growth Paraguay International criminal agencies are hunting for alleged Uruguayan drug trafficker and money launderer Sebastian Marset, who has strong ties to Paraguay and could have returned there after he disappeared a few years ago, according to InSight Crime. If he did, he won’t be safe there for long, analysts say. That’s because Paraguay is stepping up its fight against organized crime and the drugs the criminals trade in. Officials see it as key to increasing investment and growth. To that end, Paraguay recently showed off the purchase of six Tucano turboprop airplanes from Brazil to combat drug runners and other criminals in the landlocked South American country. The country also recently purchased radar sets from American aerospace giant Northrop Grumman that would help track planes transporting drugs and money, wrote Diálogo Américas, giving the Tucanos better eyes in the sky. In recent years, Paraguay has become a key country for the transit of cocaine then transported across the Atlantic in container ships: Cocaine produced mainly in Peru and Bolivia is moved through Paraguay to Brazil and Argentina, entering from neighboring Bolivia by land and air routes through the Chaco, the vast and sparsely populated region in the northwest of the country, where airstrips are being built for drug trafficking. The acquisition of radar will help Paraguay curb these criminal activities, Diálogo Américas added. Paraguayan President Santiago Peña said that the purchases signaled a crucial change of direction because of urgent priorities, and marked “the beginning of a new era in the fight against transnational organized crime and narcotrafficking.” “Today the Paraguayan State invests in defense and security, no longer to confront our neighbors. That remained in the past. Today we face different dangers. Organized crime, drug trafficking, transnational crimes know no borders, know no nationality, and this requires that States be increasingly organized,” Peña said in a recent speech as reported by Spanish news agency EFE. Peña’s comments were about more than law and order, however. The purchase of the planes reflected how the Paraguayan state was seeking to move on from one of the most stressful periods in its history since the end of the 35-year dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner in 1989. When the military regime ended, “many wounds” remained that were “eroding and deteriorating the capacity for response” of the military, which is why he considered it “fundamental” to strengthen it now, Peña added. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently called for Paraguay to strengthen measures against money laundering and violent crime, in order to create more opportunities and improve the economy, MercoPress noted. Fast-growing Paraguay has become South America’s star economy over the past two decades but has also failed to tackle one of the world’s most endemic organized crime problems. Even so, the financial institution recently praised Paraguay’s efforts to grow its economy after the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic and, even more damaging, a severe drought in early 2022. Climate change has made such droughts more frequent and extreme in recent years, too, added the Fitch Ratings agency at the time. With the help of almost $200 million in IMF financing, the country’s economy is now rebounding. Gross domestic product grew by almost 6 percent in the first quarter of the year, driven by a nearly 13 percent increase in construction sector activity, for example, reported bnamericas. The exploding interest in the country’s Paraguay-Paraná river system is also stoking economic growth, Americas Quarterly added. “Now, with a surge of infrastructure projects along its banks, the corridor is reemerging as a vital, contested axis for regional trade and security,” it wrote. “Both investment and foreign interest are ramping up: China and the US are maneuvering for influence along the corridor, as are transnational criminal organizations, for Andes-to-Atlantic drug trafficking and other illicit activity.” That’s part of the reason the country is heightening its fight against drug trafficking: It’s worried that it will dampen or even crowd out true economic development, investment, and growth. There are other critical issues beyond organized crime that Paraguay must tackle to promote growth, analysts say. “Paraguay’s institutional aspect is very weak,” Ramiro Blazquez of investment bank BancTrust told the Financial Times. “It’s a country with a lot of perceived corruption and crony capitalism, and many problems with judicial independence.”

Scientists Discover 3,500-Year-Old Lost City In Peru That Rivaled Ancient Egypt

Scientists discover 3,500-year-old lost city in Peru that rivalled Ancient Egypt By Vishwam Sankaran, 19 hours ago Ancient city of Penico unearthed in Peru Peru Ministry of Culture Archaeologists have unearthed a lost city in Peru that thrived 3,500 years ago, likely as a potential contemporary of early human societies such as the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian civilisations of the Middle East. The ancient city, named Peñico, emerged independently of these other early civilisations, and likely thrived as a trading hub, connecting coastal South America to the mountainous Andes regions through dense forests. "This urban centre was developed following the cultural tradition of Caral,” said archaeologist Ruth Shady, director of the Caral Archaeological Zone. Researchers uncovered a circular structure on a hillside in Peru’s northern Barranca province, including the remains of stone and mud buildings constructed at about 600m (1,970ft) above sea level around 1,800 and 1,500 BC. Ancient city of Penico unearthed in Peru (Peru Ministry of Culture) Scientists suspect the ancient city’s inhabitants were connected to the Caral civilisation, the oldest in the Americas, which developed 5,000 years ago. Drone footage revealed the presence of new human-made structures running parallel to previously uncovered buildings of the Caral–Supe pre-Columbian society. The height at which the structures were found suggests the ancient city’s settlers strategically chose the location likely to enhance the monumentality of their buildings, protect themselves from floods and landslides, or to promote interaction and exchange. "Peñico adds to the archaeological sites that can be visited under our management: the Sacred City of Caral, the fishing town of Áspero and the agricultural fishing city of Vichama. The public will also be able to get to know this city of integration," Dr Shady said. The city’s discovery is key to further understanding South American history, according to archaeologists, who suspect it emerged after the Caral civilisation was devastated by climate change. Peñico also likely acted as a node in the exchange network, linked to the extraction and circulation of Iron mineral hematite used to make a red pigment with a high symbolic importance within Andean cosmology. "They were situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle," Dr Shady told Reuters. So far, 18 constructions have been unearthed in the ancient city site, including larger and minor public buildings, and residential complexes, Peru’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement. Ancient Peru 'City of Social Integration' Peñico (Peru Ministry of Culture) One structure labelled "B2" stands out for its sculptural reliefs, integrated into two other large public Buildings of the urban centre. The building was found to have remarkable designs of conch shell musical horns called pututus, and other instruments represented on the walls of a quadrangular room. Pututus were used in early Andean societies to transmit sound over long distances, such as to make announcements for meetings and important events, and were considered a symbol of social importance. They were considered an important ritual offering to deities, in gratitude for the benefits required and received. Researchers also found other significant artefacts in the building, including sculptures made of uncooked clay representing human-like and animal-like figures as well as ceremonial objects. They also unearthed necklaces with beads of various materials like rhodochrosite, chrysola, animal bone and clay at the building site. The presence of such artefacts indicates the building was likely one of the most important in the urban history of Peñico.