CARAL, the oldest city in the United States

Ancient Egypt was not the first place on earth to build a pyramid. 5,000 years ago, an ancient civilization in Peru created something comparable to 500 years before Giza.

Carol is an archeological site, a remnant of the ancient civilization of the same name, located on the Peruvian coast, 180 km north of Lima in the Soup Valley. This ancient civilization, which existed in this place 5,000 years ago, is considered the oldest on the American continent (it is the second oldest in the world after Sumer in Mesopotamia). So far no one was able to send in the perfect solution, which is not strange.

Unlike other ancient civilizations (Egypt, Sumer, China, etc.), carol has particularly isolated properties. But that does not stop it from experiencing exceptional growth, anticipating other cultures that have appeared in Mesoamerica for more than 1,500 years. Carol is not only the oldest civilization in America, but this city has some of the oldest pyramids in the world.

The construction of the pyramids of Caroline makes this civilization a mystery

Archaeologists have found different pyramids of different sizes in the Carol. The seven large buildings are surrounded by several smaller structures, for a total of 32 buildings. The architects of the time organized the city into two zones, north and south. In the upper zone we find six large pyramids and an amphitheater.

The main, also known as the “Great Pyramid”, the steps pyramid is 155 meters long, 110 meters wide and 28 meters high. In front of its central staircase is a circular structure 9 meters wide. Each pyramid of Caroline had a specific role to play with different uses in the social and religious system of its citizens.

Before any other civilization in the United States, the population growth of this region of north-central Peru was premature. Between 3000 and 2500 BC, the pyramid buildings of Caroline were already under construction and renovation, and from time to time congregations stood in its plazas for economic, social and religious purposes.

Cross-functional land and resource management

In the soup basin and the areas under its influence, A complementary economy between fishing and agriculture, expressed by trade, supported the social system, Nurtured labor expertise, regional connectivity, wealth accumulation and development. The exchange of dried anchovies and mussels for agriculture, textiles or foodstuffs started the trade chain, which, though extended to other areas, enriched the coastal cities.

Supe inhabitants lived in colonies, variously expansive and complex, distributed throughout the valley; In each of them they created architecture, residential and public structures. There are some apartment buildings, pyramid buildings, large squares and impressive monumental buildings such as the Carol with eight population centers, including the largest and most complex city at the time, carefully planned.

Contemporaries are from time to time involved in the collective activities of production, which are intertwined with others, social, economic and religious. Thus, the fabric of the social structure is maintained and strengthened at specific events: in exhibitions or festive setting, ceremonies, rituals …

Religion was a tool used by the ruling class to strengthen cultural identity and social cohesion. Through religion, the authorities simultaneously exercised control, justified their privileges, maintained order, and guaranteed the reproduction of the social system.

Information was recorded using ropes and knots. With the civilization of Caroline, the use of “kippu” began four thousand years later, extending to the Inca Empire. Finally, the measurement of the movement of the stars was mentioned in the construction of large geoglyphs and alignments of rocks that were three thousand years before the paths of the Bombay de Nazca.

Carol, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, now has a virtual museum!

Gateway Virtual Museum, which has 10 themed rooms, Triggers a spiral path that marks a journey through time to the emergence of civilization, knowledge and ancestral wisdom. Here you will find infographics, photos, charts, hobbies, videos, audios and slideshows.

According to Yoshio Kano, the architect in charge of the Caroline Museum, “The Virtual Museum is a complement to the on-site visit to the Holy City, where one can admire Caroline’s monuments.