Latest news with #SupeValley
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Science
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Peru reopens 3,800-year-old Penico archaeological site for visitors
Published On 15 Jul 2025 15 Jul 2025 A 3,800-year-old citadel of the Caral civilisation – one of the world's oldest – has reopened for visitors in Peru after eight years of comprehensive restoration and research. Researchers have identified the Penico archaeological site as a vital trading centre that connected early Pacific coastal communities with those in the Andes and Amazon regions. Located in the Supe Valley, about 180km (110 miles) north of Lima and only 19km (12 miles) from the Pacific Ocean, Penico was an unremarkable hilly landscape until excavations commenced in 2017. Archaeologists believe the site could provide crucial information about the enigmatic collapse of the Caral civilisation, which flourished between 3,000 and 1,800 BC. The opening ceremony featured regional artists playing pututus – traditional shell trumpets – as part of an ancient ritual honouring Pachamama, Mother Earth, with ceremonial offerings of agricultural products, coca leaves, and local beverages. 'Penico was an organised urban centre devoted to agriculture and trade between the coast, the mountains and the forest,' archaeologist Ruth Shady, who leads research at the site, told the AFP news agency. She said the settlement dates to between 1,800 and 1,500 BC. The site demonstrates sophisticated planning, strategically built on a geological terrace 600 metres (2,000ft) above sea level and parallel to a river to avoid flooding. Research by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture has uncovered 18 distinct structures, including public buildings and residential complexes. Scholars believe Penico was built during the same period as the earliest civilisations in the Middle East and Asia. According to Shady, researchers hope the site will shed light on the crisis they believe hastened the Caral civilisation's decline. This crisis, she explained, was linked to climate change that caused droughts and disrupted agricultural activities throughout the region. 'We want to understand how the Caral civilisation formed and developed over time, and how it came to be in crisis as a result of climate change,' she said.
Khaleej Times
7 days ago
- Science
- Khaleej Times
Peruvian citadel that is nearly 4,000 years old opens doors to tourists
To the music of conch shell trumpets, a 3,800-year-old citadel of the Caral civilization -- one of the oldest in the world -- opened its doors to visitors in Peru on Saturday, after eight years of study and restoration work. The archaeological site, known as Penico, was a meeting point for trade between the first human communities on the Pacific coast and those from the Andes and Amazon regions, researchers have said. Located in the Supe valley, some 110 miles (180 kilometers) north of the Peruvian capital Lima and around 12 miles from the Pacific ocean, Penico was a hilly landscape before exploration work began in 2017. Archaeologists believe it could hold insights into why the Caral civilization -- which flourished between 3,000 and 1,800 BC -- faded. At the opening ceremony, artists from the region played pututus -- the traditional shell trumpets -- during an ancestral ritual offering to the Pachamama, Mother Earth, consisting of agricultural products, coca leaves and local drinks. Penico was an "organized urban center devoted to agriculture and trade between the coast, the mountains and the forest," archaeologist Ruth Shady, who leads research on the site, told AFP. The site itself dates back to between 1,800 and 1,500 BC, she added. It was built on a geological terrace 2000 feet (600 meters) above sea level, parallel to a river to avoid flooding. Research carried out by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture has identified 18 constructions, including buildings and residential complexes. Researchers believe that it was built at the same time as the first civilizations in the Middle East and Asia. Shady said researchers are hoping the site can shed light on the crisis they think helped hasten the end of the Caral civilization. This crisis, she said, was linked to climatic changes that led to droughts and affected agricultural activities in the region. "We want to understand how the Caral civilization formed and developed over time, and how it came to be in crisis as a result of climate change," she added.
France 24
12-07-2025
- Science
- France 24
Peruvian citadel that is nearly 4,000 years old opens doors to tourists
The archaeological site, known as Penico, was a meeting point for trade between the first human communities on the Pacific coast and those from the Andes and Amazon regions, researchers have said. Located in the Supe valley, some 110 miles (180 kilometers) north of the Peruvian capital Lima and around 12 miles from the Pacific ocean, Penico was a hilly landscape before exploration work began in 2017. Archaeologists believe it could hold insights into why the Caral civilization -- which flourished between 3,000 and 1,800 BC -- faded. At the opening ceremony, artists from the region played pututus -- the traditional shell trumpets -- during an ancestral ritual offering to the Pachamama, Mother Earth, consisting of agricultural products, coca leaves and local drinks. Penico was an "organized urban center devoted to agriculture and trade between the coast, the mountains and the forest," archaeologist Ruth Shady, who leads research on the site, told AFP. The site itself dates back to between 1,800 and 1,500 BC, she added. It was built on a geological terrace 2000 feet (600 meters) above sea level, parallel to a river to avoid flooding. Research carried out by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture has identified 18 constructions, including buildings and residential complexes. Researchers believe that it was built at the same time as the first civilizations in the Middle East and Asia. Shady said researchers are hoping the site can shed light on the crisis they think helped hasten the end of the Caral civilization. This crisis, she said, was linked to climatic changes that led to droughts and affected agricultural activities in the region. "We want to understand how the Caral civilization formed and developed over time, and how it came to be in crisis as a result of climate change," she added. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lost and found: Peru unveils sacred city of Caral hidden for nearly 4,000 years
The site of Caral, one of Peru's most important archaeological areas, has a new jewel in its crown after eight years of excavations, intense research and conservation work. It is called Peñico, and experts consider it to be a "city of social integration" because of its strategic location, which connected the populations of the Supe and Huaura valleys, but also because of the large number of homes, public buildings and ceremonial spaces it housed. On Saturday 12 July, the Caral Archaeological Zone will organise the first Peñico Raymi, a replica of a traditional Andean festival, to inaugurate the new archaeological site. Although the Caral culture developed mainly between 3000 and 1800 BC (which, given its antiquity, places it in a society with a development and chronology comparable to Ancient Egypt), it's understood the city of Peñico began to develop a little later, around 1800 and 1500 BC. The Caral are considered the oldest of the pre-Hispanic civilisations in the Americans, which went into steep decline around 1800 BC. It is possible that the prestige achieved by Peñico society in the valley, coupled with its role as a hub in the exchange network, was linked to the extraction and circulation of hematite. This mineral, used to make a red pigment, had great symbolic importance within Andean cosmology. Among the 18 constructions discovered during the excavations and now on display to the public, a ceremonial hall stands out: "We don't know its exact limits," explained Mauro Ordóñez, head of the Penico archaeological site. "This building continues to extend from east to west. The most interesting thing is the composition of several antechambers: one of them stands out for having on its sides the representation, in friezes, of pututus". Pututus are objects also known as churus (the Quechua word for a mollusc, shell or snail). They are wind instruments originally made from a seashell that was large enough to emit a powerful sound. Ordóñez considers this to be evidence of close relations with other pre-Columbian groups in northern Peru. The sacred city of Caral-Supe, located less than 200 kilometres north of Lima, the Peruvian capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Peñico, in particular, was built 600 metres above sea level on a geological terrace parallel to the Supe River and surrounded by hills that reach a height of 1,000 metres. Its Caralan builders chose this strategic location for multiple purposes: to enhance the monumentality of their buildings, to protect themselves from floods or landslides and, as evidenced by findings such as the representation of musical instruments, and to promote interaction and exchange with other civilisations.
