Turning Points · c. 3000-1800 BCE
Caral, One of the First Cities in the Americas
Supe Valley, Peru
What happened
On a dry terrace above the green Supe River valley, people built a city with six large pyramid structures, a sunken amphitheater and homes. According to UNESCO, radiocarbon dating places its growth between about 3000 and 1800 BCE.
Why it matters
UNESCO calls Caral the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. When its age was reported in 2001, it pushed back the earliest known city in the Americas by about 1,000 years.
What came next
UNESCO added Caral to the World Heritage List in 2009.
Did you know?
Archaeologists found 32 flutes in Caral's sunken amphitheater.
Timeline
- 1905The site is discovered but gets little attention.
- 1996Ruth Shady's team begins excavating the largest pyramid.
- April 2001The site's age is reported in the journal Science.
- 2009UNESCO adds Caral to the World Heritage List.