Caral Archaeological Complex

Caral is one of the most ancient and the largest of the sites of Peru. It is considered to be the host of ancient Andean Civilization which dates back to more than 5000 years and is considered to have shaped the foundations of a unique social cultural mix of the ancient cultures from Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China and Mesoamerica forming the center of a world culture.

Caral is a land of pyramids. The lords or the rulers of those times used the huge pyramids as the central place for all their activities including political, economical and religious matters. This pyramid was considered a symbol of power as well as the center of their might. Many ceremonies were performed in them

The Caral pyramids are considered to be the most distinguished pyramids found in the Andes region till date. Their origins go about 5000 years back(approximately 3000 BCs). How these huge structures were built in those times is a great puzzle, as they must have required a very high degree of technological expertise and great social organization to successfully meet the demands of the great challenge of constructing them. The great expense of time, energy and materials needed would have been very great as well.

The city was located on the left Bank of Supe valley on a massive terrace about 350 meters above sea level. The site is spread across an area of around 65 hectares. The Supe valley was a fertile narrow region having a width of 1.5 kilometers. Other important contemporary sites other than the Caral pyramids include: Age of Pando, Miraya, Allpacoto rough, Chupacigarro, Lurinhuasi, among others.

It is believed that the ancient Peruvians belonging to the Andean civilization inhabiting the small organized villages in Caral, made their living by collecting such things as tubers and shellfish. They also did a bit of hunting. Before Caral was discovered it was believed that in the early Andean civilization ancient Peruvians were organized in small villages dedicated to collecting tubers and shellfish and small-scale hunting. It is also believed that the very first pyramids and temples called The Galgada or Kotosh were constructed around 1800 BC even before pottery began. And that the many other huge pyramids were built in the following period of about 1800 BC to 800 BC.

A special archiological research was conducted by Dr. Ruth Shady called Proyecto Especial Arqueológico Caral - Supe (PEACS), which used dating method, which is based on carbon-14 dating. This research proved that Caral was a flourishing city with huge pyramids dating as far back as 5000 years (3000 BC).

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