LIMA, July 9 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Peru is to unveil the new archaeological site of El Peñico next Saturday. The 3,800-year-old city northwest of Lima was founded between 1800 and 1500 BC and is about 12 kilometers from the Sacred City of Caral, the oldest civilization in the Americas. It has been renamed the “City of Integration of the Supe Valley.”
El Peñico served as a strategic hub connecting cultures from Peru’s Pacific coast, Andes, and Amazon regions, facilitating trade and exchange between different valley basins. It flourished concurrently with early civilizations in the Middle East and Asia.
After eight years of excavation, researchers have identified 18 structures, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes. A notable discovery is a quadrangular hall adorned with designs of ‘pututus’ (conch shell instruments), believed to be a significant administrative and ideological space. Important artifacts, such as anthropomorphic and zoomorphic clay sculptures, ceremonial objects, and necklaces, were found within this “Major Public Building.”
Managed by the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC), which also oversees Caral, the opening will feature the first Peñico ‘Raymi’ (sun festival). The site, covering nearly 17 hectares, will offer educational resources like an Andean science and technology tunnel with interactive displays for visitors.
According to researchers, El Peñico is considered a continuation of the Caral society, which developed in isolation and was impacted by climate change. It brought together the mountain, coastal, and jungle civilizations of Peru thanks to its “strategic location for relations between the populations of the Huaura and Suco valley basins,” explained Ruth Shady, director of the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC) during a press conference.
“They were located in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies on the coast, in the mountains, and the jungle,” she also pointed out.
Caral, composed of 32 monumental structures, is considered contemporary with the civilizations of Egypt, India, Sumeria, and China. — NNN-MERCOPRESS
