Peru's 3,500-year-old lost city could change America's prehistory
The ancient city, named Peñico, emerged independently of these other early civilisations, and likely thrived as a trading hub, connecting coastal South America to the mountainous Andes regions through dense forests.
"This urban centre was developed following the cultural tradition of Caral,' said archaeologist Ruth Shady, director of the Caral Archaeological Zone.
Researchers uncovered a circular structure on a hillside in Peru's northern Barranca province, including the remains of stone and mud buildings constructed at about 600m (1,970ft) above sea level around 1,800 and 1,500 BC.
Scientists suspect the ancient city's inhabitants were connected to the Caral civilisation, the oldest in the Americas, which developed 5,000 years ago.
Drone footage revealed the presence of new human-made structures running parallel to previously uncovered buildings of the Caral–Supe pre-Columbian society.
The height at which the structures were found suggests the ancient city's settlers strategically chose the location likely to enhance the monumentality of their buildings, protect themselves from floods and landslides, or to promote interaction and exchange.
"Peñico adds to the archaeological sites that can be visited under our management: the Sacred City of Caral, the fishing town of Áspero and the agricultural fishing city of Vichama. The public will also be able to get to know this city of integration," Dr Shady said.
The city's discovery is key to further understanding South American history, according to archaeologists, who suspect it emerged after the Caral civilisation was devastated by climate change.
Peñico also likely acted as a node in the exchange network, linked to the extraction and circulation of Iron mineral hematite used to make a red pigment with a high symbolic importance within Andean cosmology.
"They were situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle," Dr Shady told Reuters.
So far, 18 constructions have been unearthed in the ancient city site, including larger and minor public buildings, and residential complexes, Peru's Ministry of Culture said in a statement.
One structure labelled "B2" stands out for its sculptural reliefs, integrated into two other large public Buildings of the urban centre.
The building was found to have remarkable designs of conch shell musical horns called pututus, and other instruments represented on the walls of a quadrangular room.
Pututus were used in early Andean societies to transmit sound over long distances, such as to make announcements for meetings and important events, and were considered a symbol of social importance.
They were considered an important ritual offering to deities, in gratitude for the benefits required and received.
Researchers also found other significant artefacts in the building, including sculptures made of uncooked clay representing human-like and animal-like figures as well as ceremonial objects.
They also unearthed necklaces with beads of various materials like rhodochrosite, chrysola, animal bone and clay at the building site.
The presence of such artefacts indicates the building was likely one of the most important in the urban history of Peñico.
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