A Guide To Caral

October 1994 is the date of the ‘discovery’ of Caral (also known as Caral-Supe or Caral-Chupacigarro), the oldest urban centre in the Americas, by Peruvian archaeologist, Ruth Shady Solis.

Caral is located about 200 km (124 miles) north of Lima, in the Supe Valley.

It is of huge archaeological significance because woven materials found in and around the site have been carbon-dated to 3,000 BC, which is 2,000 years earlier than previous estimations of the birth of civilisation in Peru. This makes it ‘the most ancient in the Americas and one of the most ancient in the world, comparable to Egypt, India and China’ [Hugh Thomson, Cochineal Red, p77].

As a result, the Sacred City of Caral-Supe was granted World Heritage status by UNESCO in June 2009. 

Norte Chico Culture:

At an altitude of 350 m (1,148 ft) above sea level, Caral is thought to have belonged to the Norte Chico culture, which thrived from roughly 4,000BC to 2,000BC in four coastal valleys - the Fortaleza, Pativilica, Supe and Huara - in present-day Lima Department.

Their area of influence covered some 1,800 sq. km (694 sq. miles) and had about 30 population centres, meaning it was densely-inhabited.  

Monumental Layout of Caral:

Caral has numerous stepped pyramids spread over an area of 66 hectares (163 acres) and divided into two zones - Central and Peripheral:

The Central - or Nuclear - Zone contains 32 structures and various residential complexes. It is divided into two halves:

• The Upper Sector (Caral Alto), to the north, has the largest public and residential constructions of the city: seven pyramids; two sunken, circular plazas; two collective congregation areas (Plaza Central & Plazuela de la Huanca); and residential areas for officials, technicians and servants.

• The Lower Sector (Caral Bajo), to the south, has smaller monumental buildings, such as the Amphitheatre Pyramid, the Circular Altar Pyramid and a less extensive residential area.

The Peripheral Zone has a number of residential clusters, whose layout corresponds to the contours of the valley.

It should be noted that residential constructions were both domestic homes and workshops.

The largest of Caral’s pyramids is Templo Mayor (Great Temple) in the Upper Sector of the Central Zone, which measures 150 m (490 ft) in length, 110 m (360 ft) in width and 28 m (92 ft) in height.

There is a circular sunken plaza in front of the Templo, backed by an impressive staircase that ascended to the residential and ritual buildings contained on the pyramid.

Another noteworthy Upper Sector pyramid is de la Huanca, (Pyramid of the Standing Stone), which is 55 m (180 ft) in length and width, and 12 m (39 ft) in height. It is aligned with a huanca (standing stone) at ground level, and for this reason it is assumed to have had an astronomical function. 

Archaeological Findings at Caral:

Historians had known of the ancient city of Caral for more than a century. However, a lack of pottery fragments, and other remains, dampened interest in the site, and excavation did not begin until 1996.

Once they started digging, though, they came across various significant artefacts, including:

• 32 flutes made of condor and pelican bones

• 37 cornets made of deer and llama bones

• A knotted textile piece thought to be a quipu - a system of counting, in the absence of a written language, which continued into the Inca era.

• Jewellery made of stone beads.

Interestingly, no trace of warfare - such as battlements, weapons or mutilated bodies - has so far been found at Caral, leading to the supposition that it was a peaceful society.

The revelations of the age of Caral have served to shift archaeological interest away from the Peruvian highlands - where the Chavin culture had been previously known as the first civilisation of the region - and towards Peru's little-understood coastal region. 

It is a reminder of quite how exciting a country Peru is for the archaeologist, casual or professional, as discoveries continue to be made and accepted wisdom is turned on its head.

How to Visit Caral:

PeruNorth can arrange day trips to Caral from Lima … or as part of a longer northern Peru itinerary. For example, it makes a worthwhile stop on the way to Huaraz.

Just ask us how.