Sunday we took a trip to Caral. We left Lima at 8:00 am and after 30 minutes in a taxi, 4 hours in a bus, another half hour in a taxi, and a twenty-minute walk, we arrived at the recently excavated ancient ruin site. It was nice to get out of the city and explore more of the country. Our bus route bordered the coast so in one day we saw the big city, dusty countryside, coast, sandy desert, and rivers surrounded with farmland. We saw nice city houses/apartments, dusty cement house walls, painted brick wall homes, pre-made plywood wall house frames, bamboo stick and woven roof homes, roofless homes and half buried 5000-year-old stone wall homes. Peru is a dusty place. As a result, everything looks more rundown than it actually is. The clean freak inside me just wants to run around with a vacuum and clean everything. Regardless of the of the dust-covered buildings, the land is beautiful. National Geographic worthy scenery in the country. Hands down.
Caral is far out in the country and includes a lusciously green valley, breathtaking mountains, and a massive sand pile. The ancient ruins are near the sand. In 1948, a female scientist was exploring the area and noticed a patch of hills that looked unnatural. Eventually, she got National Geographic involved. They started digging, found pyramids, tested the building materials and discovered that the civilization is 5,000 years old. No big deal. The only civilization in the world older than Caral is Mesopotamia.
Here is the governing pyramid, which we were told is perfectly symmetrical. All of the ruin sites we have been to here contain flat-topped, solid pyramids. In Egypt, the pyramids are hollow and pointy because all the important ceremonies happen inside. Here the ceremonies happen on the top of the pyramids. Also, the flat tops allowed for expansion should the local leaders decide the pyramid needed to be taller; which happened fairly often. Each ancient society had their own religious practices, but for the most part, they exercised their faith in the same scene. Immediately behind us (in the photo above) is a perfectly circular pit where the ancient civilization’s version of Congress met. The circle was made with a rope and a stick. The original compass. We also learned that this society had established gender equality. Among other trades, the governing leaders included both men and women. The stark gender inequality was introduced to the South American continent by the Spanish.
A full view of the governing pyramid.
Can you spot the tour guide? He used to be a struggling farmer. When this historical site was opened to the public, Caral residents were offered jobs. He took the opportunity, worked for a few days and hated it. Then as he learned more about it, he realized how incredible the story is behind these old, dusty rocks and now loves it. He is also grateful for the steady job/income. He said he finally has an income consistent enough to travel and is proud of his job. This guy was an incredibly knowledgeable tour guide and deserves to be proud of his work educating people.
Together this rock and astronomy were used to predict the weather. Who needs a weatherman when you have this neat rock?!
This is us excited to be out of the city for a little bit and finally in the sun!
Above is another perfectly circular gathering area. In this circle, archeologists found several musical instruments made from animal bones. A unique fact about this ancient city is that it doesn’t have a city wall for protection and contains no weapons. In 19 years of excavation only 5 bodies have been found; one adult and four children, all who died of natural causes. If one of the primitive societies of the world can live peacefully maybe there is hope for our world.
Historians don’t know much about why the 3,000 people who occupied this city left or where they went. However, they do know that before leaving, the people spent a whole year burying their buildings. The city was sacred to them and they wanted to ensure it would stay safe. Incredible people. I wish I could see what the city looked like in its prime and how the society functioned.
We bought the best fishing hat for my dad! Stylish and useful. Or maybe just useful…
Definitely worth the traveling time!
Caral: 2600 BCE – 2000 BCE