In this post: Discover the life of famous Peruvian archaeologist Julio C. Tello, also known as Sharuko. Why was he a famous Latino? What did he discover?
Part of providing well-rounded language education for budding Spanish speakers is exposing them to the rich history, contributions, and varied cultures within the Hispanic/Latino community.
Our award-winning Llamitas Spanish Curriculum, which is available for different levels, is rooted in Hispanic culture.
Each level teaches about special people from Spain and Latin America who have made great contributions to the world and society. In addition, each level includes beautiful and authentic songs, stories, and activities!
One such famous Latino that students learn about in the Level 2 Llamitas Spanish curriculum is Julio C. Tello. We provide a read-aloud video with author Monica Brown’s children’s story: Sharuko: El arqueólogo peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello
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Sharuko: El arqueólogo peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist…
- Hardcover Book
- Monica Brown (Author)
- Spanish (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 08/18/2020 (Publication Date) – Lee & Low Books (Publisher)
This is a wonderful book about the first indigenous archaeologist in South America, his life and background, as well as his contributions to his field.
Who was Julio C. Tello, also known as Sharuko?
Julio Cesar Tello was born in 1880 to an indigenous family in a mountain village in the province of Huarochirí, Peru.
His family had lived there for many generations and spoke Quechua, a language that was spoken in Peru long before the Spanish arrived, and is still spoken among the indigenous people of Peru today.
Did you know that ‘Llama’ is originally a Quechua word? Spanish, English, and many other languages have borrowed it!
Julio’s childhood was spent freely and fearlessly exploring the majestic landscape of the Andes mountains. One day, while exploring some nearby caves, he discovered an ancient burial ground that contained ancient human skulls.
Far from being frightened by his discovery, Julio was fascinated, and this eventually led him to his life path in the field of archaeology, a science that studies relics and artifacts from ancient civilizations.
Julio’s fearlessness in the face of such an amazing and mysterious discovery as a young boy earned him the nickname Sharuko, which in Quechua means “brave” or “courageous.”
Sharuko’s Education
By the time he reached the age of twelve, Julio was anxious to pursue a formal education. He managed to convince the Peruvian government to pay for a specialized education, and moved to Lima to pursue his studies.
In 1909, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Medicine at the National University of San Marcos in Peru. But his career was yet to develop further after this chapter.
While studying medicine, Julio ran across an article about the ancient skulls he had found in his village. Those skulls had been excavated and were being studied by scientists in Lima. Upon reading this article, Julio’s life was transformed, and he decided to apply his skills in the medical field to the study of Peru’s Indigenous people and history.
In 1911, Julio earned his Master’s Degree in Anthropology after earning a scholarship to attend Harvard University in the United States, where he also learned to speak English, which was his third language, having grown up speaking both Quechua and Spanish.
Upon completing his education at Harvard, Julio traveled to Germany to study archeology, earning another degree and learning yet another language!
In 1912 Julio was a guest speaker at the Congress of Americanists in England. He later became a prominent leader of this international group and this was the start of his international career and influence.
At that very same Congress, Julio met Olive Mabel Chessman, an English University student whom he married later that year. The couple moved to Peru and had several children together.
How did Sharuko make special contributions to society?
Julio began traveling all over the world, and creating an international network of colleagues in his field by regularly inviting anthropologists, archaeologists, and other scholars from around the globe to visit Peru and further the study of Peruvian civilizations.
Julio continued his studies in the field of archeology, and learned everything he could about the ancient indigenous peoples that populated the Americas. He studied ancient artifacts that provided information about their cultures and civilizations.
The Paracas Culture
Julio became the first archaeologist in South America to actually come from an indigenous community, and he made major discoveries into the the culture and civilization of the ancient Paracas people.
The Paracas civilization inhabited the Andes Mountain range from about 800 BCE to 100 BCE. This civilization was very important to the development of human society in the region, as they had extensive knowledge of irrigation systems and water management.
This led to the development of early agricultural societies where people could grow their own food and not have to depend on hunting and gathering for survival.
Julio focused his archaeological studies on his own ancient Paracas ancestors in his home province of Huarochirí, using a practice known as trepanation. This led him to learn about the health and living conditions of the ancient people by studying their skulls.
He also made other major discoveries about the Paracas people, including almost 400 textiles used in ancient mummifying rituals.
Julio also investigated Chavín de Huantar, an important archaeological site in the Andes, which he believed provided significant clues to the development of ancient cultures in the region.
In 1919, while working at the site, he discovered a stele or ancient monument, which now bears his name, the Tello Obelisk.
Julio was also the first archaeologist in Peru to practice a scientific method of archeological excavation that focused on preserving the natural layers and elements in land formations to help establish the context and age of artifacts.
Sharuko’s Greatest Discovery
Julio’s greatest discovery occurred in 1927 when he and his team discovered 429 mummy bundles in the Paracas Peninsula of Peru. His discoveries and archaeological findings are still considered the most important source of archaeological data about the Paracas culture.
Around 1938, Julio C. Tello founded and became the first director of the National Museum of Anthropology in Peru, which is still active today. Additionally, there is a museum devoted exclusively to Sharuko’s work called the The Julio C. Tello Museum, located on the Paracas Peninsula in Peru.
Sharuko made many historically significant discoveries at various archaeological sites around Peru, and he founded a museum in which to preserve the historical treasures he excavated and make them available for all the world to see.
But of all of his important achievements, perhaps his most valuable contribution was establishing the fact that Peru’s Indigenous cultures had existed in the Andes for thousands of years, disproving the standing theory that ancient Peruvian civilizations had migrated from other regions.
This established a sense of national pride in Peru’s Indigenous civilizations, and in the indigenous ancestry that many Peruvians carry in their blood, making him a hero for all Peruvians.
Thanks to the bravery of Sharuko, Peru’s ancient cultural legacy is now known all over the world. This is why Julio C. Tello is considered the father of Peruvian archaeology.
To read more fascinating stories about amazing historical figures in the Hispanic/Latino community, check out our related posts:
- Hispanic Heritage Biographies about Influential Latinos
- Pura Belpré: A Famous Librarian
- 15 Famous Latinas in History
Maya is an artist and freelance writer from Cuba who has worked in Art Education, Language Education, Simultaneous Interpretation, Subtitling, and Literary Translations. She is also a Mom and Abuela, committed to providing resources for homeschooling parents (such as her own daughter!) and to all who value the conservation of her beautiful, native Spanish language.