Llama dung mites track Inca fall (BBC News): "Scientists believe they have found a new way to track the rise and fall of some ancient civilisations - by studying fossilised mites that thrive in the dung of their livestock.

They found a huge increase in the number of fossil mites as the empire expanded from the Cuzco area in the early 1400s. A sudden drop in numbers corresponded with the collapse of the native population after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors."

Learn more about the Inca Empire and Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire.

Photo of a llama and a boy, looking much like they might have during Inca times, execpt for the boy's jeans, thanks to ArtToday.com