Peru Guide
Around Lima
Caral
Telephone: 4312235
Website: www.caralperu.gob.pe
Along the desert coast in a landscape which looks more lunar than agricultural, archaeologists have recently uncovered one of the most important archaeological finds of the past century. Thought to be the oldest city in the Americas, the ancient pyramids of Caral have overturned many long-standing assumptions. It's open only to official guided tours as much excavation work is yet to be done, but it is possible to see the site with permission from INRENA (www.inrena.gob.pe) on visits organized by some of the better tour companies. Difficult to reach without a car, it's connected to the Panamerican Highway by a badly rutted dirt-track road. Transportes Paramonga (Luna Pizarro 251, La Victoria) run buses every day to the nearby town of Supe, usually leaving around 6.20am. From here, if unguided, you'd need to rent a taxi.
This site represents human achievements that took place four thousand years earlier than the Incas: the stone ceremonial structures at Caral were flourishing one hundred years before the Great Pyramid at Giza was even built. The heart of the site covering about 150 acres, with two sunken circular plazas at the base of the largest mound itself measuring 154m by 138m at the bottom, evidently making it the largest pyramid yet found in Peru. Excavations have revealed that this Pirimide Mayor (main pyramid) was terraced with a staircase leading up to an atrium-like platform, culminating in a flattened top housing enclosed rooms and a ceremonial fire pit. Some of the best artefacts discovered here include 32 flutes made from pelican and animal bones and engraved with the figures of birds and even monkeys, demonstrating a connection with the Amazon region.