File:Mayor_Pyramid_and_circular_enclosure._Caral,_Peru.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Caral
Sign in to saveAlso known as Caral-Supe
The Sacred City of Caral-Supe, or simply Caral, is an archaeological site in Peru where the remains of the main city of the Caral civilization are found. It is located in the Supe District of Peru, near the current town of Caral, north of Lima, from the coast and 350 meters above sea level. It is attributed an antiquity of 5,000 years and it is considered the oldest city in the Americas and one of the oldest in the world. No other site has been found with such a diversity of monumental buildings or different ceremonial and administrative functions in the Americas as early as Caral. It has been
Key facts
- Ancient site.name
- Caral
- Ancient site.alternate_name
- Caral-Supe
- Ancient site.image
- Mayor Pyramid and circular enclosure. Caral, Peru.jpg
- Ancient site.caption
- The site in 2016
- Ancient site.map_type
- Peru
- Ancient site.map_caption
- Location in Peru
- Ancient site.relief
- 2
- Ancient site.location
- Lima, Peru
- Ancient site.type
- Settlement
- Ancient site.built
- BC
- Ancient site.abandoned
- BC
- Ancient site.cultures
- Caral civilization
- Ancient site.discovered
- 1948 by Paul Kosok
- Ancient site.archaeologists
- Ruth Shady
- Ancient site.condition
- In ruins
- Ancient site.ownership
- Government of Peru
- Ancient site.public_access
- yes
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.child
- yes
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Area
- 14620.31
- Official website
- www.caralperu.gob.pe/nueva/principal_ing.html
- Image
- PeruCaral01.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons gallery
- Caral-Supe
- Commons category
- Caral-Supe
via Wikidata · CC0
~12 min read
Article
12 sectionsContents
- History
- Archaeological findings
- Main temple
- Cultural practices
- Scope of site
- Geoglyph
- Musical instruments
- City layout
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
The Sacred City of Caral-Supe, or simply Caral, is an archaeological site in Peru where the remains of the main city of the Caral civilization are found. It is located in the Supe District of Peru, near the current town of Caral, north of Lima, from the coast and 350 meters above sea level. It is attributed an antiquity of 5,000 years and it is considered the oldest city in the Americas and one of the oldest in the world. No other site has been found with such a diversity of monumental buildings or different ceremonial and administrative functions in the Americas as early as Caral. It has been declared a Humanity Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.
The Caral culture developed between 3000 and 1800 BC (Late Archaic and Lower Formative periods). In America, it is the oldest of the pre-Hispanic civilizations, developing 1,500 years earlier than the Olmec civilization, the first Mesoamerican complex society.