Archaeologists have announced the discovery of an ancient city in the Barranca province of northern Peru.
The 3,500-year-old city, named Peñico, is thought to have been a vital trading center, connecting early Pacific coastal communities with populations in the Andes Mountains and the Amazon basin.
Located roughly 200km north of Lima, the site sits approximately 600 meters (1,970 feet) above sea level and is believed to have been established between 1,800 and 1,500 BC – contemporaneous with the flourishing of early civilizations in the Middle East and Asia.
Researchers suggest this discovery offers insights into the trajectory of the Caral, considered the Americas’ oldest civilization.
Drone footage released by the research team reveals a circular structure at the city’s heart, situated on a hillside terrace and surrounded by the remnants of stone and mud-brick buildings.
Eight years of investigation at the location have revealed 18 structures, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes.
Within the buildings, researchers unearthed ceremonial objects, clay sculptures depicting human and animal forms, and necklaces fashioned from beads and seashells.
Peñico is situated near the Supe valley in Peru, where Caral, recognized as the oldest known civilization in the Americas, was established around 3,000 BC, 5,000 years ago.
Caral boasts 32 monuments, including large pyramid structures, sophisticated irrigation agriculture, and urban settlements. It is believed to have developed independently of other early civilizations in India, Egypt, Sumeria, and China.
Dr. Ruth Shady, the archaeologist who led the recent Peñico research and the excavation of Caral in the 1990s, stated that this discovery is crucial for understanding the fate of the Caral civilization following its decline due to climate change.
Dr. Shady told Reuters that the Peñico community was “situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle.”
At a press conference on Thursday, archaeologist Marco Machacuay, a researcher with the Ministry of Culture, highlighted Peñico’s significance as a continuation of the Caral society.
Peru is a repository of significant archaeological finds, including the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in the Andes and the enigmatic Nazca Lines etched into the desert along the central coast.
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