We rented a taxi for the day to take us to the archaeological site of Caral. The 5000-year-old large ceremonial complex was discovered in 1997. Without funds or wealthy sponsors, the Archeologists and locals got the Peruvian Army involved in the excavation. Chick and I think it was a clever move for the Peruvian government because there are so many archeological sites in Peru. Surely there will be many new Archeologists in Peru’s future as more young people get exposed to Archeology through Military service. Peru has a great need for them right now.
It is thought that Caral was built about 3700 BC. It was occupied for 1000 to 1200 years in what is now a river valley that drains many mountains. The six stone-built pyramids date well before the Egyptian pyramids, dated after 3000 BC.
Caral was a trading civilization. The desert land surrounding the city was fertile when irrigated by mountain streams and grew cotton and vegetables. Cotton fabric, cotton seed, and fish bones were recovered when the sand of the ruin was sifted. According to a small museum on-site, the cotton was traded for fish with a coastal group about 20 KM to the west. The cotton was made into fishing nets. We had a good time visualizing the civilization that lasted 1000 years. No weapons, metal tools, or pottery were found. No defensive walls were found either. It puzzles many archaeologists who were certain that people gathered together in cities to protect themselves from enemies. Why else would they gather together? Caral illustrates that trade can provide the economic means for a city to be built and continue for a millennium. Only a few bodies have been found in the ruins. One baby was found wrapped in several layers of cloth in a cache inside a dwelling. Two boys were found incorporated into a municipal building. That can be fuel for thought. Were the boys caught in the flood? We did not learn how the people of Caral treated their dead. The cemetery for the civilization has not been found.
The buildings we saw today were mainly administration buildings, not dwellings. Some were thought to be arenas for music. Evidence of drugs and sexual stimulants was found, so this was a peaceful place where people not only worked but spent time playing too.
An El Nino is thought to be the cause of the ending of this great city. After a huge rain, the city was flooded so severely that the people may have lost faith in their gods and priests and moved away. There is desert nearby, and sand quickly covers any land here. Grey dust and sand cover almost everything we have visited in Peru. Without grass or other ground covers, dust is continually in the air and covers buildings. We sometimes saw people sweeping outside buildings like you would sweep a floor.
Today on our way to the ruin, we saw fields and people walking through fields with packs on their backs and sprayers in their hands. We saw spraying in asparagus, corn, squash, sugar cane, and yucca. The fertility of the land is great here. Corn and sugarcane were growing so thickly and close together that you would think them crowded, but the silky ends of the cobs pointed towards us as we rode by, and we marveled at the productivity of the land.
This was a marvelous last ruin to visit. It opens a lot of questions about man’s early motivations for gathering together. The pre-pottery stone age group left the city without building on top of it. This is the only stone age city I know of that was not buried under another city.
Photos
This was a wonderful trip, and I am glad you let me share it with you. Chick and I are home now and already discussing our next planned adventure. Thanks again for providing an audience.
Donna 99999
