Caral

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Caral

Remains of Caral
Shown within Peru Show map of Peru Caral (South America) Show map of South America
Alternative name	Caral-Supe
Location	Lima Region, Peru
Coordinates	10°53′37″S 77°31′13″W / 10.89361°S 77.52028°W / -10.89361; -77.52028
Type	Settlement
History
Founded	c. 2600 BC
Abandoned	c. 2000 BC
Cultures	Norte Chico
Site notes
Condition	In ruins
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Sacred City of Caral-Supe
Location	Supe District, Barranca Province, Peru
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iii), (iv)
Reference	1269
Inscription	2009 (33rd Session)
Area	626.36 ha (2.4184 sq mi)
Buffer zone	14,620.31 ha (56.4493 sq mi)
Website	www.zonacaral.gob.pe/en/

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 valley of Peru, near the current town of Caral, 182 kilometers north of Lima, 23 km from the coast and 350 metres above sea level.^[1] 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.^[2] It has been declared a Humanity Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.^[3]

The Caral culture developed between 3000 and 1800 B.C (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.^[4]

Closely related to the city of Caral was an early fishing city, Áspero or El Áspero, located on the coast near the mouth of the Supe River. There, remains of human sacrifices (two children and a newborn) have been found. In 2016, the remains were found of a woman, who presumably belonged to the local elite of 4,500 years ago.^[5]