3,000-year-old copper mask found in Argentina
Scientists have discovered a 3,000-year-old copper mask at an ancient human burial site with 14 bodies in Argentina, making it one of the oldest human-made metal object from South America. Scientists also found a copper ore source within 70 km suggesting prevalence local metallurgy in the area at the same time as Peru, where it was previously thought to emerge. 
Washington, Jun 7 (PTI) Scientists have discovered a 3,000-year-old rectangular copper mask in Argentina - one of the oldest human-made metal object from South America. The mask, that dates back to about 1000 BC, was found at a site where adults and children were buried. Holes mark the position of the masks eyes, nose and mouth, with additional small, circular openings near the edges that could have been threaded to secure it to a face or an object. Scientists from University of Buenos Aires in Argentina also found a source of copper ore within 70 kilometres of the location where the mask was uncovered, suggesting that it was produced locally. It is probable that metalworking emerged in Argentina at the same time that it was developing in Peru, the researchers wrote in the study published in the journal Antiquity. The metal mask - along with a collection of human bones ? was found in a tomb near a village in northwestern Argentina. There were about 14 bodies in the burial area, with the bones all mixed together and the mask placed on top of one corner of the pile. 