The remains of 16 Qing Dynasty people were unearthed in the pyramid. What kind of history is hidden behind them?

According to reports from the Associated Press and Latin American media that year, as early as 2002, two real estate developers, in search of gravel for paving, actually built a 6-meter-high building near Lima, the capital of Peru. The 4,000-year-old pyramid was brutally demolished, with excavators and bulldozers razing this historical and civilized monument to the ground.

The archaeologists who came after hearing the news were filled with regret. When they were excavating the remains of this pyramid, they unexpectedly discovered that there were 11 corpses wrapped in cloth and five others under the pyramid. In the auxiliary coffin, five corpses wearing blue-green jackets lay.

Judging from their clothing and appearance, these corpses buried at the bottom of the pyramid are definitely not ancient people from 4,000 years ago. Later, after repeated screening and research by archaeologists, it was determined that they were actually Chinese from the Qing Dynasty at the end of the 19th century.

(Peruvian Pyramid)

This is strange. Why were the Qing Dynasty people a hundred years ago buried in the 4,000-year-old Peruvian pyramid?

1. The humiliating history of Chinese workers in Peru.

Around the 10th century AD, the ancient Indians established the Inca Empire, whose center was today's Peru.

In 1533 AD, the Inca Empire became a Spanish colony. It was not until 1821 AD that it became independent and was called the Republic of Peru. Those pyramid relics from the Inca Empire are near the capital Lima.

At that time, due to Peru’s vast territory, sparse population and lack of human resources, the Peruvian rulers who had just taken over the manors and mines from the colonists saw that the wealth they had was difficult to realize, and the scars were healed and forgotten. It hurt, and he also started to engage in business and squeeze labor.

In 1840, the Opium War broke out, and Western powers used artillery to blast open the door of the Qing Dynasty. Peruvians came to Guangdong and used various tempting conditions to recruit young and strong laborers to work in Peru. In order to show their sincerity, they also brought a contract, but the contract was all in Spanish and no one could understand it.

Because it was really difficult to survive under the dark rule of the Qing Dynasty, some Chinese signed the contract. For the vast majority of young adults who are unwilling to leave their homes, Peruvians also resort to despicable methods such as kidnapping and deception.

According to statistics, from 1849 to 1874, 250,000 Chinese laborers were sold to Peru. Some of them were resold to a capitalist or plantation owner, and some were retailed. They were taken to railroads, mines, and guano fields and began to work like hell. Moreover, they were deprived of their Chinese names and replaced with slave numbers.

Sufferings set in. Not only did the labor intensity of these laborers be high, but they were also mistreated, and their food was extremely poor. They would be whipped even if they took an extra sip of water during work.

Thomas, the then US Minister to Peru, said: The Peruvians treated Chinese workers with extreme cruelty. Nearly one-third of the Chinese workers were squeezed and tortured to death.

(Chinese workers in history)

2. The history of Chinese workers’ resistance in Peru.

In 1865, the unbearable Chinese workers rose up to resist. More than 500 Chinese workers in the Canard Plantation killed the plantation owners and brutal overseers, seized their guns and horses, formed their own cavalry team, and then rushed to other estates to rescue their compatriots. Everyone was very happy An uprising team of more than 1,200 people was quickly formed.

Unexpectedly, this led to an encirclement and suppression by the Peruvian police and army. Due to poor weapons and equipment, the resistance was suppressed and more than 600 Chinese were killed. In addition, the people were unfamiliar with the place and the personnel were relatively scattered. The Chinese workers were simply unable to organize a team strong enough to fight against the Peruvian government.

Peruvian brutal abuse of labor quickly spread throughout the world, and countries all over the world condemned the Peruvian government. Portugal ordered a thorough investigation into the transportation of Chinese laborers from Macau to Peru, and banned labor trafficking in 1873. The Qing government also sent people to meet with Peruvian envoys to negotiate about the abuse of Chinese laborers.

(Paintings about Chinese workers)

3. The remains of Chinese workers buried in the Inca Pyramid.

After the bloody suppression of the resistance, due to local discrimination against Chinese workers in Peru, these Chinese workers who were killed during the resistance were not allowed to enter the formal cemetery. In desperation, in order to commemorate these compatriots who sacrificed for the rights and interests of the Chinese workers, the Chinese workers They had no choice but to dig simple graves in the Inca ruins pyramids to bury their remains.