Caral City – Peru

Peru

Peru is as diverse as it is vast. Here, you can experience the tropical Amazon and the Arctic climate of the Andes or Cordilleras. It’s a country where modern cities blend with traditional architecture, and in other places, you find relics from the era of Francisco Pizarro.

One such historical gem is Cusco (which will be covered in a future post). In Peru, like the high priests or great leaders of the Inca, we could pass through the Gate of the Sun to see Machu Picchu. You can immerse yourself in luxury in Lima or enjoy local delicacies at a market. We’ll take you with us to see the rainbow hues of the colorful mountains… Like Indiana Jones, we had the chance to walk the streets of an ancient civilization. So sit back, relax, and let us take you on a journey through mountains, tropical forests, and deserts.

The Forgotten Civilization

Before the Trip:

Where to Stay Overnight

• Lima: We recommend two districts, Miraflores and Barranco. We stayed in modern Miraflores. Barranco is peaceful and safe during the day, but at night, especially near the beach, there are some dark alleys best avoided.
• Important Note: If you want a good night’s sleep, be sure to request a reservation with a window away from the street and as high up as possible. In Peru, the car horn is the most essential vehicle feature, and it’s used 24/7, whether needed or not.

Currency: The local currency is the Peruvian sol. Peru is still a country where card payments outside major cities are rare, so make sure you have a supply of cash!

Where to Go: The Sacred City of Caral-Supe, commonly known as Caral, is located about 200 km north of Lima and 25 km east of the western coast of South America.

How to Get There:

• By Car: Take Route PE-1N and then turn east onto LM-102.
• By Tour: Currently, many travel agencies offer trips to the Sacred City of Caral-Supe, with prices ranging from $160–$300 per person, requiring a full day.

(IF YOU DECIDE TO DRIVE, REMEMBER THAT IN PERU, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WATCHING OUT FOR OTHER DRIVERS. GET FRIENDLY WITH THE HORN—YOU’LL BE USING IT OFTEN!)

Driver’s Note: Before and after every “pedestrian crossing” and “school zone” sign, there are speed bumps—large enough to stop even a tank. So slow down and watch out for your car’s undercarriage!

What to Bring:

• A small backpack and definitely a large hat.
• If you’re unsure about the local cuisine, bring snacks and a meal for one of the day’s meals (the entire trip is over 12 hours).
• Several bottles of water.
• Sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 50 (for very fair skin, we suggest SPF 70).
• Sunglasses.
• Closed, comfortable shoes; we don’t recommend any type of flip-flops or sandals due to the sand.

Entrance Fee: The entrance fee to Caral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Peru, is 11 soles (about $2.90 USD) per adult and 1 sole (about $0.30 USD) for children under 12. TICKETS CAN ONLY BE PURCHASED WITH CASH.

Please remember that tipping your guide is customary.

The Forgotten Civilization

Peru, with its diverse flora and fauna and the mysteries of the Incas, has fascinated many of us for ages. Be it the tales of El Dorado, the “land of gold” that lured the conquistadors, or the mythical Nazca Lines, which some believe served as navigational markers for visitors from space, or the famous Machu Picchu.

However, we have the chance to take you to lesser-known places—ones that could even be called unknown in the world of tourism. This place is the Sacred City of Caral-Supe, commonly known as Caral. This adventure, like many of our journeys, was unplanned and taken on a whim. But let’s start from the beginning.

We had just returned from our journey into the depths of the Peruvian Amazon Basin (more about that in an upcoming post). After landing in Lima (the capital of Peru), we headed to a hotel to indulge in the comforts of civilization, such as a shower or a seated toilet. It’s almost surprising how, every time we return from the wilderness and the remote natural areas we love so much, these small conveniences bring us immense joy. And, especially in the tropics, air conditioning is practically a luxury. With a few days to spare, we pondered how to make the best use of them. We couldn’t just spend them in the hotel or by the pool—that would be an unforgivable waste of time. So, as we thought about what Lima could offer, I remembered an article I had come across recently about a recent archaeological discovery in Peru.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t recall the details, but that’s where the conveniences of Western civilization came in. I started going through my notes and then searched online until I stumbled upon a similar article about an ancient civilization far older than the Incas. This civilization was the Norte Chico civilization, recognized as one of the six cradles of human civilization, with its city designated as a UNESCO Humanity Cultural Heritage site.

So we decided, with minimal information about the city’s history and location, to venture to this mysterious place. We rented a car and headed north from Lima. The journey would be around 200 kilometers. There are several alternative routes in that direction; we chose PE-1N, then turned east onto LM-102 for about 25 kilometers.

Road PE-1N

The road north leads through desert landscapes along the Pacific coast. The scenery is not exactly welcoming, though it is very interesting. The farther north we go, the less greenery we see, as it gradually gives way to sands and a rocky desert. At some point, we notice that only in inhabited areas does a bit of greenery appear (though in most cases, it’s covered in a layer of dust and sand). The architecture we pass is typical for this region: low buildings with flat roofs and tiny windows. It’s fascinating that despite the advances of civilization, people here still build houses with sun-dried clay bricks. This type of construction can be seen throughout South America.

Here’s an interesting detail: when we landed in Cusco and Lima, the city looked unfinished from above. Nearly every building had a top floor under construction, with exposed rebar and bare walls. At first, we assumed it was simply a financial issue preventing completion. We couldn’t have been more wrong. It turns out that if a house is “unfinished,” the owner doesn’t have to pay property taxes… so almost no one pays them.

When we were almost certain we had reached the spot where we could park the car, it turned out that the rest of the road had disappeared. On a narrow, unpaved path, we had to back out “in reverse.” The road ran through a gorge and was so tight that turning around was impossible. So we returned to the main road and, following our instincts, continued east. After driving about 15 kilometers, we arrived at the town of Caral. Here, we decided to ask the locals for directions on where to go next. Unfortunately, neither Brydzia nor I speak Spanish, and none of the locals could communicate in English. But we all know that if there’s a will, there’s a way. Using gestures, exaggerated expressions, and a bit of charades, we managed to understand where to turn right—or at least, we hoped we understood correctly. And we were right! After driving another 10 kilometers, we arrived at the “modern” town of Caral. Don’t expect a bustling metropolis, but if needed, there are three hostels where you can spend the night and a restaurant where you can enjoy some local specialties.

Finally, after reaching the town square, we turned right and arrived at the parking area, where we left the car and continued the rest of the way on foot.

At this building, you should turn right if you’re coming from the north on LM-102, or left if you’re coming from the south.

To reach the area where we could enter the excavation site, we had to take a short walk across the desert sands. (No, this isn’t a trek across the Sahara, so you don’t need to worry about dying of thirst, though we recommend bringing water—enough for your needs, but about a liter per person should be sufficient.) And yet, more obstacles… haha! After coming all this way, the woman at the entrance (the “cashier”) and a guard in uniform with a 12-gauge shotgun (security in Peru loves 12-gauge shotguns, and you’ll see them practically everywhere) were trying to explain something to us. At first, we thought it was just the entrance fee. So, smiling (since from previous experience we knew there was no point hoping for credit card payments or ATMs), we approached the “cashier” with local currency in hand. But she wouldn’t take the bills and kept trying to explain something to us, gesturing emphatically and speaking very slowly in Spanish. It’s funny how when someone doesn’t understand us, we tend to speak slower and louder, as if that would help—haha. What now?! Surely, we didn’t drive all this way just to “kiss the doorknob,” as they say!

Brydzia had an idea: maybe she just didn’t have change for such a high denomination. So once we found out the entrance fee (11 soles), we counted out the exact amount, give or take. But that wasn’t it either… Well, now what?

The solution appeared on its own. After about 20 minutes, a man arrived who spoke just a few words of English, but it was enough. I should mention that using Google Translate wasn’t an option because there was no internet. As it turned out, you couldn’t enter the city site without an archaeologist. This was because excavations were still ongoing. Finally, we were able to enter.

Now a bit about the history of this place, but it won’t be straight out of Wikipedia or a history textbook. Most of the information came from the archaeologist, who, as much as he could, tried to explain and tell us the story of this place.

The History of Caral and its Inhabitants

In truth, we know very little about this place. When we had the privilege of visiting Caral, it was practically unknown to tourists and had only been discovered about 20 years earlier by Ruth Shady Solís from San Marcos University. Different sources give conflicting information about the original discovery of Caral. Some say as early as 1905, others 1940. The fact is, it wasn’t until 1994 that the true discovery of this civilization was made.

What do we know? Let’s start by saying that there are more unknowns than answers. We only know that it emerged around 5,500 years ago and that the pyramids built there are supposedly older than Egypt’s Step Pyramid of Saqqara or the Mesopotamian Ziggurats. The city complex covers 165 acres of structures and includes 18 pyramids, and it was home to around 3,000 people.

The most fascinating part of this place isn’t its age or the advancement of its civilization; rather, it’s the fact that over its 1,500-year existence, its inhabitants didn’t experience war. To this day, no weapons have been found, and none of the skeletal remains bear any traces of combat-related injuries. We know that its residents lived in peace and enjoyed good times, as peace and prosperity tend to foster such an atmosphere. We also know that the city’s inhabitants produced cotton nets and textiles, which put them ahead of other civilizations in certain areas of development.

We don’t know much about this civilization’s culture or religion, but we do know they traveled deep into the Amazon—a remarkable feat considering the distances for the time.

However, the most intriguing aspect is the type of chronicles and writing they used. Enter “quipu,” or knot-writing, which makes its earliest known appearance here in Caral. This system is an early form of the decimal system. Initially, it was thought that quipu was used to count resources and track their usage, but later excavations revealed more complex “records,” where the knotted strings were woven with colorful fabrics (in a synchronous manner) and feathers. This suggests it was a sophisticated recording system similar to hieroglyphs.

As he guided us through the designated pathways, we realized the magnitude of this discovery—how much work and architectural skill it took to build such a complex city. How was it managed? We couldn’t get an answer to that question for a simple reason… it’s still unknown.

What we do know and found especially intriguing was the “Pyramid La Galeria,” which is a 3-meter-tall obelisk aligned precisely to the north. Not far from it, the archaeologist showed us a large stone with a regular shape, which looked like a discarded building piece. But the entire city was built from sun-dried clay bricks, so what purpose did this stone serve? It wasn’t particularly grand, and it even looked like it hadn’t been fully worked. And here, we were surprised once again. It turned out this stone was a map of stars and planets, and all the pyramids are aligned with a specific star, indicating an advanced knowledge of astronomy.

The center of the city housed a ceremonial amphitheater, where all ceremonies and important events took place.

PHOTO OF THE AMPHITHEATER

When we moved from the ceremonial area to the residential area, we were met with another surprise. The way they built the houses was quite unique. Each home had a hearth, but it was more like an oven we would recognize today than an open fire. It consisted of two chambers: in one, the fire was kept burning, while the other, larger chamber was ventilated with air entering through an opening in the wall. It looked a bit like a funnel or even a gun slit in a fortress or bunker. I thought of a bunker; Brydzia thought of a funnel. Through this opening, during cold periods, the wind blew into the chamber and circulated warm air through channels under the floor, distributing heat to the rest of the rooms. Amazing, right? 5,000 years ago, they already had central heating.

At the end of our tour, we reached the foothills surrounding the valley. We decided to climb up to get a view of the city from above. It was breathtaking.

I admit that for a moment, I felt like Indiana Jones on one of his adventures. As a teenager, I was fascinated by Szklarski’s novels about the adventures of Tomek Wilmowski (Polish readers may know what I’m talking about). I dreamed that one day, just like in those stories, I might experience something as exciting as they did. Life gave me the chance to fulfill that dream, and more than once.

We understand that most people visit Peru with the desire to see Machu Picchu, which, yes, is interesting but is a primitive structure only 500 years old. Many aren’t aware that in the same country, they can walk through the streets of the true cradle of civilization and humanity.

We don’t just recommend visiting this place—it’s historically and culturally fascinating, and it provides a few insights into human development. We gained an enormous amount of information there, enough to satisfy anyone’s curiosity… yet Brydzia and I still have more questions than answers. How was it possible that this civilization knew no wars? Where did they go, and why did they disappear? But most of all, where did they come from? Why are there no paintings or carvings on any of the buildings? Why, despite being such an advanced civilization, were no ceramic vessels found in the entire complex? What did they use to prepare meals or store crops for the next year? Maybe someday we’ll know… or maybe we’ll find answers in another lost city or civilization. Perhaps when you visit, there will be more discoveries, and we hope you’ll share them with us and with other readers.

—Kris