CARAL, Peru.- A 3,800-year-old citadel of the Caral Civilization, one of the oldest in the world, located in northern Peru, opened its doors to the public on Saturday after eight years of research studies and restoration work.
The new archaeological site, called Peñico, has been considered by its discoverers as “the city of social integration” because it was the meeting point for commercial exchanges that used the first communities of the Pacific coast with which they came from the Andes and the Amazon regions.
Peñico is located in the Supe Valley, 182 km north of Lima and about 20 km from the Pacific Ocean.
“It is an organized urban center that was dedicated to agriculture and commercial exchange between Costa, Sierra and Selva,” archaeologist Ruth Shady, who directs research on Caral civilization, told AFP.
“His age is 1,800 to 1,500 years before Christ, not as old as Caral,” Shady said.
The monument was built on a geological terrace 600 meters above sea level, parallel to a river to avoid flooding.
The researchers estimate that it was formed at the same time when the first civilizations flourished in the Middle East and Asia.
The archaeologist indicated that its historical importance lies in the contribution of elements that will better know the crisis that this civilization faced.
He said that this situation had to do with climatic changes, generating droughts and affecting the agricultural activities of the place.
“We want to understand how Caral civilization was formed and developed over time, when it entered into crisis due to climate change,” he added.
Its residents had to leave urban centers, as happened in Mesopotamia del Norte, he explained.
Tribute to Pachamama
The opening to tourism began with the touch of Pututus (Caracola) and with an ancestral payment ritual to the Pachamama (offering to Mother Earth) that consists of delivering to the earth agricultural products, coca leaves and typical drinks such as chicha de jora (corn) to thank for their goodness and ask for prosperity.
It was staged by a shaman, artists and residents of the area.
“What we are presenting implies research and conservation of buildings that are ready for the public with a tourist circuit,” archaeologist Marco Machacuay told AFP.
Under intense heat, dozens of local tourists arrived in Peñisco taking advantage of free admission.
“I am surprised because all these slopes were pure hills and sand.
“It is of great importance to know this place. It is a pride for me as a person because my roots come from this area,” said administrator Lidia Flores, 46 who arrived with her two children.
In the investigations carried out by the Ministry of Culture of Peru, 18 constructions have been identified, including buildings and residential complexes.
Among them, the Pututos Ceremonial Hall stands out, where these musical instruments represented on the walls of a quadrangular room are appreciated.
In this building, sculptures made in unbasted mud that represent anthropomorphic characters, zoomorphic figures and ceremonial objects, according to Shady, were found.
Exploration works in Peñico began in 2017, about what was at that time a hill terrain.
“We did not think that under the hills we would find buildings and a ceremonial hall,” said Machacuay.
The new archaeological site adds to other open monuments to tourism in Caral, such as the sacred city of Caral, the fishery city of Aspero and the agropesquera city of Vichama.
“Peñico represents a link in the extensive career of Andean civilization,” he said.
Developed between the 3000 and 1800 years before Christ, Caral Civilization is considered the mother culture of America.
CARAL was declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.
Source: AFP
