The pyramids
Stepped stone mounds.
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Caral, or the Sacred City of Caral-Supe, is an archaeological site in Peru's Supe District holding the main city of the Caral civilisation. It lies 182 km north of Lima and 23 km from the coast at 350 metres above sea level, about 139 km in a straight line from Lima's Plaza Mayor. The city is reckoned to be about 5,000 years old and is considered the oldest city in the Americas and one of the oldest in the world. It was inhabited from about 2600 to 2000 BC, spreads over more than 60 hectares and housed over 3,000 people. Max Uhle found it in 1905, Ruth Shady later excavated it, and UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 2009. Stepped stone pyramids, a sunken circular plaza, an amphitheatre and ordinary houses rise from the sandy desert, framed by bare grey mountains. Visitors follow earth paths lined with stones between the buildings. Visitors keep to the marked paths, and guided tours are available. The sun is strong and shade scarce, so bring water and a hat.
Stepped stone mounds.
Sunken among the buildings.
Bare mountains around.
Supe District, Lima Region, Peru
About 5,000 years.
No, only on the marked paths.