Caral in Peru: The Oldest City in The Americas
James Bustamante is Native to New York but born to Peruvian parents. He has been traveling throughout Latin America since early 2003 and finally made his home in Peru. James has made his way by eating and traveling through almost every country in Central and South America.
Last Updated on June 22, 2022 by James Bustamante
Caral in Peru has been known to be one the oldest cities in the Americas and one of the oldest in the world. According to scholars, the Caral pyramid is older than the great pyramids located in Egypt. Let’s dive into the ancient and mysterious city of Caral in Peru.
Where is Caral?
Caral is in Peru, more precisely Caral was a settlement in the Supe Valley in the province of Barranca. This is roughly 120 miles (200 kilometers) to the North of Lima, the capital city of Peru. You can find it when you reach the marking of Kilometer 184 on the Panamericana highway. Caral became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2009.
Caral in Peru: Cradle of Civilization
The Caral civilization is one of the oldest known cultures, not just in the Americas but in the entire world. The Caral culture originates in the South American continent almost simultaneously to other cradles of civilization such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China.
The Caral culture as one of the cradles of civilization developed an economy that was based on fishing and farming. They went as far as to include communities that not only lived in the coastal region but also in the highlands as well as the rainforests of the country.
One key difference that Caral civilization presents is that it developed in complete isolation from other ancient cultures. They predate the mesoamerican cultures by 1,800 years and were not geographically close enough to have interactions with Africa or Asia.
The Sacred City of Caral
There are 19 locations that were occupied along with Caral in the same time period. These occupied territories are distributed along the entire length of the Supe Valley. Within one of these ancient territories, you can find Pyramids that connect to circular “plazas” which are built into the ground.
Out of all the locations, the Caral in Peru is located dead in the center. This helps to appreciate the organization, architecture, and overall management of the territory by the Caral culture. These constructions belong to the late archaic period, between 3,000 and 1,800 BC.
Pyramids and Structures of Caral
The original occupants of Caral Supe picked out land in deserts near valleys to construct their towns and villages. Caral was built on a bora alluvial piece of land that measures 684 feet (1.1 km) near the widest side, it is also surrounded by “Cerros” or hills.
As with any other city, Caral was routinely going through change, it is calculated that at its peak it would house around 3,000 inhabitants. This is calculated to have been no more than 1,000 years ago.
Caral in Peru seems to have been heavily focused on religious ceremonies and ancient rituals. There is evidence that some structures housed burials where rituals also took place. The city of Caral was constructed according to the religious ideologies of the Caral culture.
Several of the constructions were built to represent constellations and deities the local people would pray to. Each construction had multiple purposes and would house festivals, religious ceremonies, or rituals according to the annual calendar.
Important of the Caral Pyramid
Religion was very important to prehispanic cultures, this is made obvious when you look at the pyramidal constructions made by the ancient Caral culture. These pyramids are of many sizes, they all seem to have fire pits. This was most likely not only used for ceremonies and religious rituals, but also for administrative and labor tasks.
The Observatory in Caral
To the southeast of the city, you can find a space that is surrounded by desert and hills that has been identified by archaeologists as an ancient observatory. There are lines made into the ground to establish directions and horizons.
This piece of land also has geoglyphs that reflect the positions of the stars and there are underground observatories as well. In this area, you can also find a 39 foot (12 meters) wide pathway that was used by the people of Caral Supe.
Residential Areas of Caral
There are living quarters that are annexed to the ceremonial buildings in Caral. The spaces were apparently ample and had fine decorations throughout the housing areas. There are three identified residential areas in Caral.
- The Major Residential Compound – Found facing the great central plaza of Caral.
- The Minor Residential Compound – Found in the lower portion of Caral, facing what would have been public buildings in the city.
- The Periferia Residential Sector – Found in the northeast section of the city which is closer to the Supe Valley.
Caral Was a Peaceful Civilization
Ruth Shady is an archaeologist who founded the Caral archaeological site, she is considered to be the world expert on the Caral civilization. Shady states that the Caral culture was a peaceful society that focused on commerce and pleasure.
Through the years of archaeological findings in the region, there have been no indications of warfare taking place by the people of Caral. There is no evidence of battles, weapons, or remains of mutilated bodies anywhere in the city.
The Sechin Bajo
This is very different when compared to the Sechin Bajo civilization where a more aggressive culture took place. The Sechin Bajo was around just as old and some say older than the Caral culture.
Archaeologists have found depictions of weapons at the Sechin Bajo archaeological site along with a temple containing 32 flutes made of Condor and Pelican bones. There is one instance, where archaeologists found the remains of a baby that was wrapped and buried wearing a necklace made of stone beads.
Caral Inspired Andean Civilizations
The city of Caral in Peru was found to have elaborate and complex temples along with an amphitheater along areas for housing. The housing section is as big as 150 hectares (about 370 acres) where you can find the various plazas and the residential constructions where people lived.
Caral was already a large functional metropolis around the same time when the great pyramids of Egypt were just being constructed.
Caral dates back to be older than 2,000 BC and worked as an architectural guide of urban design for the many Andean civilizations that came thereafter. Researchers are sure that studying the Caral culture will answer the questions regarding the origins of the civilizations that developed further into the Andes like the Incas, Chankas, Caxamarcas, and several others.
Sources: http://www.zonacaral.gob.pe/caralperu/civilizacion/ciudadsagradadecaral.html
Conclusion
Caral in Peru is the oldest city in the Americas and one of the main cradles of civilizations. The city of Caral was an important point in time where people were allowed to create one of the oldest civilizations known to man. The Caral culture was one of the origins of the many Andean cultures that came afterward, including the famous Incan empire.
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