Ancient site · City
Caral (Sacred City of Caral-Supe)
Also known as Caral-Supe, Chupacigarro
The best-known city of the Caral-Supe (Norte Chico) civilization, set on a dry terrace above the Supe valley, 23 km from the Peruvian coast. It has large platform mounds, sunken circular plazas and homes for elites and workers; finds include cotton textiles and 32 flutes of condor and pelican bone, but no pottery.
Built while the Egyptian pyramids were rising, it is considered the oldest city in the Americas. Fishing towns such as nearby Áspero traded seafood for cotton and crops. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Dates
- c. 2600–2000 BCE
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 10.89° S, 77.52° W
How we know
No writing existed (a knotted string found here may be an early quipu record); the city is dated by radiocarbon since Ruth Shady's excavations.
Nearby sites
- Chavín de Huántar c. 1200–500 BCE (dates debated)
- Sechín Bajo c. 3500–1300 BCE
- Huacas del Sol y de la Luna c. 100–800 CE
- Paracas cemeteries (Cerro Colorado) c. 800–100 BCE
- Huaca Prieta c. 12,500–2000 BCE
- Nazca Lines c. 500 BCE – 500 CE
Related
- Caral–Supe (Norte Chico) civilization archaeological culture
- The world in 3000 BCE: The First Kings chapter