World Heritage Identification Number: 1269
World Heritage since: 2009
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇵🇪 Peru
Continent: Americas
UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
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The Ancient Metropolis of Caral-Supe: A Preeminent Urban Center in the Americas
The Sacred City of Caral-Supe, nestled within the arid landscape of the Supe Valley in Peru, stands as a testament to the ingenuity and cultural sophistication of ancient civilizations. This 5,000-year-old metropolis, recognized as the oldest center of civilization in the Americas, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The 5000-year-old 626-hectare archaeological site of The Sacred City of Caral-Supe is situated on a dry desert terrace overlooking the green valley of the Supe river. It dates back to the Late Archaic Period of the Central Andes and is the oldest centre of civilization in the Americas. Exceptionally well-preserved, the site is impressive in terms of its design and the complexity of its architectural, especially its monumental stone and earthen platform mounts and sunken circular courts. One of 18 urban settlements situated in the same area, Caral features complex and monumental architecture, including six large pyramidal structures. A quipu (the knot system used in Andean civilizations to record information) found on the site testifies to the development and complexity of Caral society. The city’s plan and some of its components, including pyramidal structures and residence of the elite, show clear evidence of ceremonial functions, signifying a powerful religious ideology.
Encyclopedia Record: Caral
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 kilometres (113 mi) north of Lima, 23 kilometres (14 mi) from the coast and 350 metres above sea level. 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. It has been declared a Humanity Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.Additional Site Details
Area: 626.36 hectares
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: -10.8916666667 , -77.5213888889
