Peru’s Other ‘Lost City’ Preserves the Oldest Known Civilization in the Americas

Unearthing the oldest city in the Americas

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A three-hour drive from the perpetually foggy Lima follows the Panamericana Norte through desert and multiple zonas de neblina. Yet, as our guide reported, the Supe Valley is eternally sunny (double-up on sunscreen). The Supe River skims the northeast border creating a surreal desert oasis. Fertile pockets of avocado, corn, passionfruit, and chili dot the 14 miles between the city and coast. These same plots were likely used by pre-Columbian farmers and, paired with crystal-clear night skies, give historians a clue why Caral became the center of an astrally astute community dependent on agriculture and religious rituals.

Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Shady Solís wasn’t the first on the scene but she was the first to suspect there was more to those dusty mounds than met the eye. In 1994, Dr. Shady’s team began unraveling South America’s mother culture.

Caral’s pyramids and ceremonies

Photo: rjankovsky /Shutterstock

The 5,000-year-old city, contemporary to Mesopotamia and Egypt’s Pyramid of Djoser, was a planned urban center. Our guide explained how Caral’s pyramids were oriented by the stars and deities while residences and the amphitheater and other monuments correspond to a calendar system. A monolith known as the Huanca was used for astronomy and the tip of an observatory has been found.

Six stepped pyramids have been unearthed so far, with the Greater Pyramid dominating the landscape. Unbaked clay figurines and seashell charms were excavated in internal chambers, confirming these were ceremonial centers. Some artifacts are inscribed with a swirl motif similar to the Moray terraces. Its appearance on the 2011 rebrand of Peru’s tourist board solidifies Caral’s value.

Climbing Caral’s sacred pyramids isn’t allowed but the paths bring you face-to-face with the edifices. Organic valley materials and shicras (bags woven from plant fibers) were the primary construction method: Caral’s engineers knew how to withstand earthquakes. Elevated platforms help visualize how the Upper and Lower cities were organized. Our guide pointed out how the architecture mimics the surrounding mountains.

He confirmed that the Norte Chico people excelled as astronomers, medics, musicians, artisans, stone masons, farmers, and fishers. Relics from Ecuador and the Amazon show that trade was widespread. However, no traces of weapons or defensive structures have been found – this peaceful civilization was unmotivated by conquest.

In the absence of pottery, radiocarbon dating places Caral to 3,000 B.C. It precedes the Olmecs, previously thought to be Mesoamerica’s oldest civilization, by 1,500 years. With its own governmental system and being the first known place to record information using quipu (knotted thread), this pre-ceramic pachaca, or settlement, was the blueprint for Peru’s Chavín, Nazca, and Inca societies.

Cultural and astronomical events at Caral-Supe

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Oodles of instruments found at the amphitheater made from condor and llama bones reveal that festivities were as much a cornerstone of Norte Chico life as religion, trade, and science.

ZAC marks solstices, Independence Day (Fiestas Patrias), and other holy dates with desert camps. Caral Raymi is usually held at the end of October to commemorate the anniversary of Dr. Shady’s project. The pyramids are illuminated with bonfires and musical performances take place under the stars. Runa Raymi, a culinary and art fair, occurs the following day.

These are bookable on the Ruta Caral website or at Lima’s tourist offices.

Visiting the Sacred City of Caral

Caral is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is 11 Peruvian soles ($3) and mandatory Spanish-speaking guides cost 20 soles ($5) per group of up to 10 people.

The visitor center accepts cash payments in soles only. Small bottles of water are sold and there’s a covered picnic area near the interpretation exhibition. There’s no food service outside ad hoc pop-up markets.

Day trips to Caral from Lima

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Buses (bookable on RedBus) depart from Lima’s somewhat chaotic Gran Terminal Terrestre Plaza Norte for Supe village in the Barranca province. From here, a taxi will take you to the archaeological center; ask the driver to wait. If you don’t speak Spanish, you’ll need to arrange a translator for the 90-minute walking tour.

Small-group tours from Lima cost from $130 per person and include transport, admission, the Spanish-language archaeological tour, and a bilingual interpreter. I booked through Peruna who cap groups at six. Our trio had the City of Pyramids to ourselves for the whole circuit – a real Indiana Jones experience. On the way back, we stopped at the Barranca fishing town to sample the original tacu-tacu (Peruvian rice pancake).

Renting a car is another option, although driving in Peru isn’t for the faint hearted and it’s bumpy after exiting the Panamericana Norte. The usual route, the unpaved desvío (shortcut), zigzags through farmland and dips into a river. It’s passable in a high-clearance vehicle most months and Route 102 should be taken between December and April.

Beyond Caral

Photo: BETO SANTILLAN /Shutterstock

Caral is one of around 30 satellite towns in the Supe Valley. A Ministry of Culture initiative connects travelers to Caral and neighboring complexes currently under investigation. These include the astrological hub of Chupacigarro, the Áspero fishing village, and the Végueta agricultural community. Cultural Trips are available as shared and private excursions from Lima.