Updated September 2026 by our local guides in Quito: we checked what has (and has not) been published since this story first ran, added the verified record for the tallest human, and listed the real archaeological sites you can visit in Ecuador.

What is documented and what is only claimed?

We kept the original article below because people still search for it. Read it as a report of a claim, not as a confirmed discovery.

Author: LIZLEAFLOOR

Strikingly tall skeletons uncovered in the Ecuador and Peru Amazon region are undergoing examination in Germany, according to a research team headed by British anthropologist Russell Dement. Will these remains prove that a race of tall people existed hundreds of years ago deep in the Amazonian rainforest?

According to a Cuenca news site, since 2013 the team has found half a dozen human skeletons dating to the early 1400s and the mid-1500s which measure between seven and eight feet (213 to 243 centimeters) in height.

Dement said,

“We are very early in our research and I am only able to provide a general overview of what we have found. I don’t want to make claims based on speculation since our work is ongoing. Because of the size of the skeletons, this has both anthropological and medical implications,” reports Cuenca Highlife.

Skeletal Remains in Ecuador and Peru

In late 2013 Dement received word that a skeleton had been uncovered by a Shuar local, approximately 70 miles (112 kilometers) from Cuenca, in Loja Province, Ecuador. Dement traveled to the site and recovered a rib cage and skull of a female which had been exposed by flooding. The bones were thought to date to 600 years ago. The rest of the skeleton was located and, once assembled, reportedly measured seven feet, four inches (223.5 centimeters) in height.

This prompted the formation of a research team including four researchers from Freie Universität in Germany, and the assistance of Shuar locals. Funding was provided by the university for excavation and investigation.

Recognizing it is a controversial area of research, Dement noted “Even though I had been working with Freie for many years, I was concerned that they might not give a grant for someone looking for giants. To outsiders, especially scientists, I understand this sounds a little hair-brained. […]

“Because of the sensational nature of this, we have to be extremely diligent in our research since it will be met with a great deal of skepticism,” he said.

Within six months of excavations and mapping at two different sites: the one outside of Cuenca, and another settlement dating to about 1550, approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) away on the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border, the team had found five more tall skeletons, as well as artifacts. It is believed by Dement and colleagues that the tribe at the second site had been at the settlement for at least 150 years.

The three complete skeletons and two partial skeletons had no disfiguration and suggested they were relatively healthy.

Dement said,

“The skeletons show no signs of diseases such as the hormonal growth problems that are common in most cases of gigantism. In all the skeletons, the joints seemed healthy and lung cavity appeared large. One of the skeletons that we have dated was of a female who was about 60 when she died, much older than typical cases of gigantism,” reports Cuenca Highlife.

The burials were elaborate. Bodies were wrapped in leaves and buried in thick clay. This sealed the skeletons and protected against water intrusion, leaving the remains in fairly good condition.

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• The Life and Legend of the Aldworth Giants

Legends Come to Life

It is reported that Dement had previously studied Amazon indigenous communities for more than two decades and had heard the legends of “very tall, pale-skinned people who used to live nearby,” he said. Community elders described them to Dement as a race of large, peaceful Amazonians who were welcomed by the indigenous Shuar and Achuar people, however, the locals also believed these people belonged to the ‘spirit world’ and were purely mythical.

Real-Life Giants

Since the announcement of this discovery several reports have vastly exaggerated the dimensions of the finds, with seven feet being reported as seven meters (making them 23 feet tall). The bones have also been erroneously connected with hoax photos, as well as a reconstruction of an “Ecuador giant”, which was in fact a fake skeleton for a now-closed theme park in Switzerland.

• The Relic of Bir Hooker Proof of a Race of Giants? – Part 1
• The Establishment Has Already Acknowledged A Lost Race of Giants – Part 1
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These false reports should not detract from the actual discovery of seven-to-eight-feet skeletal remains in the Ecuadorian and Peruvian rainforest, which are being scientifically studied. Such skeletons, while seeming to fit the ancient legends of a mythical race, are not unheard of or unproven in scientific literature.

Other such cases of extremely tall humans (or “giants”) can easily be referenced, such as Robert Wadlow, known as the “Alton Giant”, cited as the tallest person in recorded history. Wadlow was born in Alton, Illinois, USA in 1918, and at his death was eight feet, eleven inches (2.72 meters) tall.

Another of the many cases of modern gigantism include that of Charles Byrne (1761-1783), known as “The Irish Giant,” whose skeleton is now on display at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London. Measurements of his skeleton measured him at approximately seven feet, seven inches (2.31 meters) tall.

Earlier this year archaeologists in Bulgaria discovered the remains of what they have described as a “huge skeleton” in downtown Varna, a city on the shores of the Black Sea whose rich culture and civilizations spans some 7,000 years. The size of the bones were said to be “impressive” and that they belonged to “a very tall man”.

As such cases exist in history, it stands to reason there were cases of individuals or even communities of people who were seen as “giants” to the ancients.

Results of the reported Freie University research are to be published a year from now according to Dement, who is said to be examining DNA samples from the Shuar communities near the excavation site to see if they connect with the skeletal remains from the ancient settlement.

Hopefully the published information will shed light on the people who lived in the Amazonian rainforest hundreds of years ago, and how they might have interacted with the Shuar and Achuar peoples, possibly sparking myths and beliefs which were passed down for generations, resulting in the legend of the Ecuadorian giants.

Featured Image: A human skull. Representational image only. (Steve Snodgrass/CC BY 2.0)

What real mysteries can you visit in Ecuador?

If ancient Ecuador is what hooked you, the good news is that the real sites are fascinating and easy to reach. Here are the places our guides send curious travelers:

• Ingapirca (Cañar): Ecuador’s largest Inca-Cañari complex, with the elliptical Temple of the Sun. About 2 to 2.5 hours by bus from Cuenca, entry $2 for foreign adults (2025 official rate). See our Ingapirca guide.
• Cueva de los Tayos (Morona Santiago): a huge cave explored in 1976 by an expedition that included Neil Armstrong. Visits are only possible with Shuar community guides. See our Tayos Cave guide.
• Museo Casa del Alabado (Quito): one of the best pre-Columbian art collections in the country, in the Old Town at Calle Cuenca N1-41. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 17:00 (alabado.org).
• Museo Pumapungo (Cuenca): state museum with Amazon ethnography, including Shuar culture, and the Inca terraces of Tomebamba right behind it.

Related guides

• Ingapirca: Cañari and Inca history and how to visit
• Tayos Cave: what is documented and how to visit
• Devil’s Nose train in Alausí: the complete 2026 guide
• Things to do in Quito
• Ecuador itinerary for 7, 10 or 14 days

Plan it with us

Want help fitting this into your Ecuador route? Drop by our office at Pedro Fermín Cevallos N6-78 y Olmedo in Quito, message us on WhatsApp at +593 97 953 3832, or email info@communitytravel.ec. Our local guides answer the same day.

Frequently asked questions

Het bericht Giant Skeletons in Ecuador: What Was Claimed and What Is Documented verscheen eerst op Community Adventures Ecuador.

Updated September 2026 by our local guides in Quito: we added how to get up safely, entry fee to the monument interior, opening hours, and corrected some figures about the statue.

The Virgin of Quito

Climbing the Panecillo and admiring the extension of Quito from the heights is an experience that you must live in your passage through the city of the Half of the World. The Panecillo is a hill that divides the city between north and south and whose top is the representation of the only winged virgin, also known as the Virgin of Quito. It is a giant structure composed of 7 thousand pieces of aluminum, replica of the sculpture of the Quito artist Bernardo de Legarda.

We recommend you to reach the top of the hill of El Panecillo by taxi or the tourist bus. From there you can admire the trace of this millennial city that has not altered its original morphology in more than four centuries. This was one of the reasons why UNESCO declared it the First Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The monument of the Virgin will allow you to admire in detail elements such as the serpent, the world, the crown and the wings of this religious image. See details of the Virgin proves that visiting Quito is a unique experience!

From here you have a privileged view of the whole city. There is a small viewpoint to the south side, from which you can see several of the peaks and volcanoes of our mountain range from El Panecillo. You can enjoy Quito and all its glory from these heights.

Another attraction that makes visiting Quito, is located in the same viewpoint. It is a stone monolith that according to research, is a point of energy that points directly to the center of the planet. Try to touch it to connect with Mother Earth and renew your energies!

There is a museum within the structure of the Virgin that is worth visiting, to learn how they brought from France their pieces and the structure of the image and how they were armed. From the beauty of the details of the Virgin to the stone monolith, it is evident that it is a cultural benefit to visit El Panecillo. Quito will soon become one of your favorite cities.

The Panecillo Virgin

The Spanish artist Agustín de la Herran Matorras began the construction of the monument of the Virgin of Quito on November 4, 1955. This was inaugurated on March 28, 1975. The sculpture of the virgin is 45 meters high and is a copy to Large scale sculpture of the Virgin of Quito, made in the eighteenth century by the Quito sculptor Bernardo de Legarda.

The original sculpture has a height of 30 centimeters and can be admired in the main altar of the Church of San Francisco. The work is composed of about 7 000 pieces and is considered as the largest representation of aluminum in the world.

History of the Panecillo

This small elevation located in the Historical Center of Quito received the name of the Panecillo by the Spaniards, at the beginning of century XVI. In the pre-Inca period it was called Yavirac, which referred to a water point or reservoir of water; Later, the Incas called it Shungoloma or Loma del Corazón. Ancient cultures used El Panecillo as a ritual space. During the Feast of the Sun or Inti Raymi, the Vestals or Virgins of the Sun danced as an offering to their god. According to a legend, in pre-Inca times, members of the culture Caras built a temple there in honor of the sun and one in honor of the moon, in San Juan.

Located at 3 035 meters above sea level (just 200 meters above the average altitude of Quito), El Panecillo marks the division between the center and the south of the city, and constitutes an observatory of the urban territory of Quito.

Would you like to explore Quito? Join our free walking tour..

Is El Panecillo safe, and how do you go up?

The hilltop itself, around the statue and the viewpoint, is busy with visitors and police during the day and is fine to visit. The problem is the way up on foot: the long stairway and streets that climb from the Old Town through the San Sebastián neighborhood have a record of robberies, and we tell our guests not to walk them, alone or in groups.

Take a taxi or a ride-hailing app from Plaza Grande, San Francisco or La Ronda. The ride is about 10 minutes and usually costs $3–5 each way. The hop-on hop-off city tour bus also stops at the top. Go in the morning: clouds often cover the volcanoes by early afternoon. At night the statue is lit up and the view of the Old Town lights is lovely, but go only by car and do not wander away from the main viewpoint.

From the top you can pick out the plazas, domes and bell towers you will walk through below, which makes El Panecillo a good first stop before exploring the Old Town on foot.

Related guides

• One perfect day in Quito’s Old Town
• Things to do in Quito
• Is Ecuador safe to travel in 2026?
• Where to stay in Quito: neighborhoods compared
• A short history of Quito

Plan it with us

Questions about getting around Quito? Drop by our office at Pedro Fermín Cevallos N6-78 y Olmedo, on the edge of the Old Town, message us on WhatsApp at +593 97 953 3832, or write to info@communitytravel.ec. Our local guides answer every day and can help you plan the rest of your Ecuador trip.

Frequently asked questions

Het bericht El Panecillo, Quito: The Winged Virgin and How to Visit (2026 Guide) verscheen eerst op Community Adventures Ecuador.