pyramids | Travel Thru History

Caral, America’s Oldest City

great pyramid at Caral — The Great Pyramid

by Georges Fery

The cluster of valleys on the banks of the Supe River in the north-central coast of Peru, known as the Norte Chico, stands out among other ancient human settlements in the country for the antiquity, number, size, and complexity of its monumental architecture, witnesses to an extraordinary past. Its early urban centers are Banduria (4000-2000BC), Aspero (3700-2500BC), and Caral, also referred to as Caral-Supe (3500-2000BC), which far surpassed the other two in power and influence and has been called “the oldest city in the Americas, and one of the earliest cities in the world” (Mann, 2005). However, unlike cultures in other parts of the world, the Peruvian urbanization took place in total isolation. The rise of civilization in Peru preceded the Olmec civilization, believed to be the oldest in Mesoamerica, by at least 1500 years (Shady, 1994).

Hunting and gathering for subsistence, in what is now Peru’s Norte Chico, is documented as early as 9500-8000BC. Small groups started plant selection and gardening, and the remains of irrigation channels have been dated to that period. New concerns with the cosmos and religion led to the unification of nascent social groups around spiritual concepts. In turn, this collective perception brought social stratification, followed by an economic cooperation that swept the Andes and Northern Peru’s coastal communities (Shady, 1997). Agriculture expanded, and by 3200 BC, harvested cotton was an already important trade crop, used to make nets for fishing, and later net-bags (shicras) employed in construction. Domestication of camelids such as llamas also grew around this time.

Rise and Fall of Ancient Civilizations in Peru

So, let’s follow the field notes of renowned Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Shady Solis and others, to look at how ancient civilizations in this region rose and fell. The fertile Supe River and its affluents wind their way to the coast from the western piedmont of the Andes to the dry coastal plains. Its lush valley is host to twenty-one ancient settlements that share a common architecture and urban distribution dating from the Late Archaic period (3500BC). On the Pacific Coast, at the mouth of the Supe River, is the Late Archaic site of Aspero (3700-2500 BC). This coastal town seems to be the origin of human settlement in this part of the Norte Chico. As demographic pressure increased at Aspero together with social complexity, communities split into groups that moved up the Supe River valley and set up villages upstream. Aspero’s location, however, gave the town a key role in the initial economic development of the region, providing access to the abundant schools of fish that rode the cold northbound Humboldt current, as well as control of the sea salt trade with growing inland communities.

Caral and other close communities were built fourteen miles up the coast in the 60-mile-long Supe River valley, on the arid plateau extending on both banks of a ravine and the fertile but narrow valley where crops were planted. The settlements on the plateau on each of the upper sides of the ravine were thus protected from seasonal floods. In the 3500-3200 BC time frame, Caral (165 acres) grew from a village to a city together with Era de Pando (200 acres) and Pueblo Nuevo (135 acres), while neighboring hamlets such as Cerro Colorado, Liman, or Cerro Blanco did not exceed two or three acres.

Caral Confirmed as Oldest City in the Americas

By 3000-2900 BC, Caral was the seat of regional power, with Curacas – or heads of lineages – in control of political, socio-economic, and religious affairs. The foremost Curaca was the principal of a network of districts that spread up from the Pacific coast to the foothills of the Andes, an organization that was based on trade and reciprocity (Shady, Dolorier, Casas, 2000). What kept the network together was religion, used as a means of cohesion and coercion, as well as a symbol of mutual cultural and spiritual identity (Shady, 2004). Today, Caral’s monumental pyramidal stepped structures associated with sunken circular plazas, emphasized its importance as a secular and religious power center. Its seven massive temple-pyramids dot the landscape together with remains of residential complexes large and small. Its antiquity as the oldest in the Americas has been confirmed by 29 radiocarbon dates (Shady, 1993, 2000).

While Caral stands as a significant and renowned archaeological site in Peru, accessing it via public transportation is currently not feasible. However, you can embark on a memorable day trip from Lima to Caral. Join Travel Adventures Peru for a convenient excursion led by knowledgeable local guides.

Caral and its neighboring communities on both sides of the Supe River, may have housed over 20,000 people. Shady stresses, in agreement with Feldman (1980) and Grieder et al. (1988), that “field research indicates that the Caral-Supe society was organized into socially stratified ranks with local authorities connected to a state government, sustained by a productive and diversified crop production and fishing economy.” Farmers cultivated fields irrigated by means of a simple system of canals guiding water from the Supe River and its affluents, as well as from numerous springs.

The socio-economic dynamics were driving internal and external exchanges that allowed for the development of complex technological and social organization. “Caral’s direct control and economic dominance included populations of the Supe, Pativilca and Fortaleza valleys. Its interaction and prestige extended across the entire north-central Peru region from the Andes foothills to the coast. Furthermore, Shady stresses that evidence shows that “Caral was the model of a socio-political organization that other societies achieved only in later times throughout Peru” (2002).

The impressive achievements of Caral’s inhabitants (called Caralinos by archeologists), from architecture to religion is owed to their dynamism, creativity, and interactions with social groups in the upper reaches of the Andes. Caral’s history and culture was closely associated with its ceremonial calendar which was set in harmony with nature and the seasons. However, they were also influenced by two major natural disrupters that are historically associated with the demise of cultures in northern Peru. These disrupters were, still are, inextricably linked to the ebb and flow of Norte Chico cultures. The first of the disrupters are the combined climate episodes triggered by El Niño and La Niña, which affect global weather patterns. In a few words, El Niño is associated with a band of nutrients-poor warm water and atmospheric convection that develops in the east-central equatorial Pacific and spreads to South America’s east coast. ENSO-El Niño Southern Oscillation refers to the cycle of warm and cold Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean, with high air pressure in the western Pacific and low air pressure in the eastern Pacific.

El Niño’s moisture-laden clouds produce intense rains, floods, and landslides, devastating cultures and may be, but is not always, followed a year or so later by La Niña, El Niño colder counterpart. During La Niña episodes, strong winds blow warm water on the ocean’s surface away from South America across the Pacific Ocean. SST in the eastern Pacific is, at that time, below average. Cold water from the ocean then rises to the surface near South America’s coast. La Niña is associated with droughts that may last months over the South American continent. These complex occurrences vary in intensity and may recur in cycles of seven or fourteen years.

Tectonic plates of Peru diagram — Tectonic plates of Peru

The second set of disrupters are the earthquakes triggered by the collision of the massive South American tectonic plate and the far heavier Nazca plate as it moves eastward from the Pacific and slides beneath the South American plate. The friction between the plates, in the subduction zone along the Peru-Chile trench, are the main cause of earthquakes and volcanic activity in the region.

To mitigate the disruptive effects of earthquakes, Caralinos found an ingenious way to give their constructions a certain “flexibility” during seismic events. Their answer was the shicra, a net made of cotton mixed with vegetal fibers that was packed with loose rocks. Shicras that held over a thousand pounds of rocks were found in the foundations of structures. Smaller shicras were used to carry stone loads of fifteen to twenty pounds from quarries to building sites, where they were placed in the retaining walls to allow structures to absorb a certain number of disturbances from quakes without damaging the walls.

Together with the shicras, quinchas-lintels or beams made of the huarango, a hard wood of a mesquite tree species such as the “algarrobo blanco” (Prosopis alba), were used to shore up doors and passageways in buildings, along with massive stone pillars as central support. All structures large and small, were built of shaped stone blocs set with mud.

Seven Large Pyramids

Caral’s thirty-two monumental structures, and its residential complexes large and small, underscore the ancient city’s importance. In the upper half of the city are seven large pyramidal structures, two of them, the Great Pyramid, and the Pyramid of the Amphitheater, are associated with large sunken circular courts. Major structures encircle multifunction open spaces or plazas. There are two subgroups: the one to the west includes the Great Pyramid, the Central Pyramid, the Quarry Pyramid, and the Lesser Pyramid. The subgroup to the east includes the Pyramid of the Amphitheater, the Pyramid of the Gallery, and the Pyramid of the Huanca (a huanca is a tall upright monolith, usually an uncarved stone). The eight-foot-tall huanca is found three hundred feet away from the plaza and the two pyramids, at the end of a causeway.

Archaeologist Shady notes that at Caral “the structures in the nuclear space are grouped into two great halves: an upper half, nearest the water where the most impressive pyramidal structures are located, and a lower half with smaller public buildings, but for one large complex that also has a circular sunken court attached to it” (2002).

This spatial organization likely expresses the Andean binary division into hanan and hurin (upper and lower, respectively). Pyramidal structures vary in size and exhibit distinct elements, but all share a model for the façade, which are comparable in style and design. Shady remarks that “all buildings follow a similar model with superimposed terraces placed at intervals and contained by stone walls. Each façade has fixed stellar direction and an axis that internally divides the space. This axis is usually marked by a staircase traversing the center of the terraces from the base to the summit. The flight of stairs also divides the building into a central body with two left and right extensions, each with rooms and passageways. The central body of each structure consists of segments set apart by their sequential location at specific elevations” (2001).

Caral circular court complex — Circular court complex

An exhaustive description of this 5000–year-old city would require far more space than is available here. So, together with archaeologists Shady, Machacuay and Aramburu, we will focus on three major structures: the Great Pyramid (Sector.E), the Pyramid of the Galeria (Sector.I), and the Temple of the Amphitheater (Sector.L). The Great Pyramid is the largest and most extensive and important complex in the upper half (hanan) of the city. It measures 561 feet from east to west and 495 feet from north to south. Its south facing façade is 65-five feet in height while its north side, facing the valley, reaches to slightly less than 100 feet. Its main feature is an important circular sunken court and an imposing stepped pyramidal structure made of a central body and two side components.

An important feature in the structure is that of the Altar of the Sacred Fire, which is located at the top of the pyramid, in a small quarter with a ventilation shaft running below it. The diameter of the circular sunken court, attached to the north side of the pyramid, is 120-feet, and its sunken interior is 72-feet across. An entrance stairway leads up from the exterior and up the south side of the court, in line with the axial staircase of the pyramid. On the north-south axis, two other staircases descend to the court, each framed by two large upright monoliths. The internal wall of the court is made of stone blocks reset one-and-a-half feet to an elevation of five feet giving it a stepped appearance. The walls, stairs and floors of the plaza were plastered and painted. Given its size, location, and association with the circular court, this was probably the city’s main public building” (2000).

The Pyramid la Galeria owes its name to the monolith located about three hundred feet from the pyramid’s main stairway. This pyramid is of a quadrangular plan, located in the east subgroup, at the extreme southeast of the upper half of the city (hanan). The façade is oriented toward the urban space shared with the Pyramid of the Gallery (Sector.H). The eight-foot-high monolith or huanca, seems to have been the axis common to the two buildings. The Pyramid of the Huanca has the typical stepped profile, consisting of five superimposed terraces and four sides. It measures 177 feet on its east-west axis, 171 feet from north to south and reaches 42 feet in height. Its eighteen18-foot-wide central stairway leads at the summit to an atrium, assumed to be an observatory. Notable among the finds in the building, is a headdress made of grassy fiber.

This is Part One of a two-part article about Caral.
Read Part Two Here.

Further Reading:
Ruth Shady Solis, 2001 – The Oldest City in the New World
Jennings, J., 2008 – Catastrophe, Revitalization and Religious Change on the Prehispanic North Coast of Peru
Ruth Shady and Carlos Leyva, 2003 – La Ciudad Sagrado de Caral-Supe
Roxana Hernandez Garcia, 2015 – Caral: 5000 Años de Identidad
Jesús Sánchez Jaén, 2008 – Caral, la Cultura de las Plazas Circulares
Ruth Shady Solis, J. Haas, and W. Creamer, 2001 – Dating Caral, a Preceramic in the Supe Valley on the Central Coast of Peru (Science, 292).
Haas and M. Piscitelli, 2004 – The Rise of Andean Pre-Inca Civilizations
Ruth Shady Solis, 2006 – La Civilización Caral: Sistema Social y Manejo del Territorio y sus Recursos; sus Transcendancia en el Proceso Cultural
Eva Jobbova, Ch. Elmke & A. Bevan, 2018 – Ritual Responses to Drought: An Examination of Ritual Expressions
Arthur D. Faram, 2010 – A Geographic Study of the Ancient Caral, Peru

About the author:
Freelance writer, researcher and photographer, Georges Fery (georgefery.com) addresses topics, from history, culture, and beliefs to daily living of ancient and today’s communities of Mesoamerica and South America. His articles are published online at travelthruhistory.com, ancient-origins.net and popular-archaeology.com, in the quarterly magazine Ancient American (ancientamerican.com), as well as in the U.K. at mexicolore.co.uk. The author is a fellow of the Institute of Maya Studies instituteofmayastudies.org Miami, FL and The Royal Geographical Society, London, U.K. rgs.org. As well as member in good standing of the Maya Exploration Center, Austin, TX mayaexploration.org, the Archaeological Institute of America, Boston, MA archaeological.org, the National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC. americanindian.si.edu, and the NFAA – Non-Fiction Authors Association nonfictionauthrosassociation.com.
Contact: Georges Fery – 5200 Keller Springs Road, Apt. 1511, Dallas, Texas 75248, (786) 501 9692 –gfery.43@gmail.com and www.georgefery.com

Photo Credits:
1 – The Great Pyramid courtesy of peruinfo.com
2 – Caral, Site Map courtesy of mdpi.com
3 – Peru Tectonic Plates: Map: USGSDescription:Scott Nash, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
4 – Shicra Nets: I, Xauxa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5 – Complex of the Circular Court © georgefery.com
6 – Pyramid la Galeria and the Huanca © georgefery.com

Egypt: Pyramid Power

by Doug Matthews

It’s only halfway through the African Football Championship match, Egypt against Cameroon, and already Cairo streets are full of cars, not much different from any normal night, just noisier and slower. We are stuck in the middle of the celebrations in what has to be the most massive traffic jam I have ever seen in my life. I’m trying to catch an overnight train to Luxor, having cut short my tour of the Egyptian Museum in order to navigate through the traffic. We eventually pull up to the Giza train station with minutes to spare.

I’m in Egypt on a three-week research holiday to study about ancient celebrations for a future book project. An important part of that research was to be the museum and I am annoyed that my visit has been cut short. However, I have managed to see the various mummy rooms and the indescribable treasures of Tutankhamen, jewelry and craftsmanship so ornate that its beauty brings tears to the eyes, considering it was created over 3300 years ago. I quickly schedule an additional full day to re-visit the museum upon my return to Cairo in 10 days. The other main component of my research is to be visits to temples in Upper Egypt (the southern part of the country south of approximately Luxor, as the Nile flows south to north). However, the first part of my trip up to the departure of the train to Luxor has also included the sights in and around Cairo and Alexandria on the Nile delta.

There is no question that “pyramid power” draws millions of tourists to Egypt every year. Indeed, the pyramids are worth the visit by themselves. It sometimes amazes visitors that the pyramid-building phase of Egyptian history only lasted for a relatively short time, from about 2700 to 1800 BCE, mostly during what was known as the Old Kingdom. Another surprising fact is that there are more than 100 pyramids documented in the country but only about four or five are significant tourist destinations. These include the three large pyramids at Giza, the earliest pyramid called the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, and the Red Pyramid and Bent Pyramid at Dahshur. During my first few days in Egypt, I manage to visit all these. Because of the crowds at Giza, I opt to go inside the Red Pyramid at Dahshur, about 64 km south of Cairo where it is much less crowded. The Red Pyramid is actually the third largest in the world after those of Khufu and Khafre at Giza. As luck would have it, I am the only person inside during my visit and can spend time enjoying the double burial chambers, albeit devoid of sarcophagi and treasures! A long steep climb down and up a low-ceilinged shaft may be the reason fewer people choose to visit inside, but by all reports, it is the best preserved. Consider that, in their day, the pyramids would have been covered in white limestone polished to a high sheen and topped with a tip of pure gold, all of which would glisten and reflect the sun over the valley below. Amazing!

Throughout my Egyptian escapades I am accompanied by private guides and separate drivers in air-conditioned cars. In Cairo and Alexandria my guide is Dr. Aziza Ganam, a professor of history at Cairo University who supplements her income with guiding. She is extremely knowledgeable, and explains every detail of each sight to me, taking time to patiently answer my never-ending questions. An added advantage to this form of sightseeing is that it affords one the opportunity to learn more about the culture on a personal basis, and I take advantage of this to delve deeply into Egyptian politics and the religion of Islam. The gulf between cultures becomes noticeably smaller as a result.

My visit to Alexandria is just such a time. We chat constantly for the three hours it takes to drive the distance from Cairo to the coast. Once there, we begin at the new library of Alexandria, the “Bibliotheca Alexandrina.” With an eventual collection of 8 million digitized volumes, the library is a reflection of the ancient library, a world centre for scientific excellence during Ptolemaic times, between 300 BCE and 400 CE. Other stops include a well-preserved Greek theatre and the Qaitbay Citadel (right), a fortress built in 1477 on the exact spot of the ancient Pharos Lighthouse, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

Alexandria, although as crowded as Cairo, is very beautiful if one ignores the traffic. A promenade lines the waterfront and many other tree-lined boulevards appear throughout the city. Unfortunately, there are almost no traces remaining of the original city, started by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, and try though they might, archaeologists seem to be fighting a losing battle in their attempts to locate such important treasures as the tomb of Alexander and remnants of the old library.

Two days later, I am at the station in Cairo awaiting the overnight train to Luxor. It passes comfortably in a first class sleeper, with dinner and breakfast served right to my private compartment. Arriving in Luxor at 6:00am, I’m greeted by my new guide for Upper Egypt, Mr. Abdelhamed Megaly, a 27 year-old history major with a wealth of knowledge. We immediately strike out for the Valley of Kings, once again in a private car, across the Nile from Luxor on the West Bank. This valley, deep in sandstone hills, was chosen by Pharaohs after the pyramid-building phase of Egyptian history in order to hide their tombs from treasure-seekers. Unfortunately, this was not successful and the many tombs found there today contain only the spectacular frescoes on the walls and ceilings. The one exception of course, is the tomb of Tutankhamen, found by Englishman Howard Carter in 1922. The only reason it was not looted was that it was hidden below another tomb. As my guide states, “Imagine what the tombs of greater kings such as Ramses II would have contained if they were still intact. Tutankhamen was just a minor king.” The valley is now organized completely as a tourist attraction and receives thousands of visitors each year.

From the valley we return to Luxor and spend the afternoon visiting the magnificent temples of Karnak and Luxor (above). Both these were part of an annual festival which I am studying in my research, the Opet Festival, so I am relentless in my questioning. Both temples are amazing. Karnak is one of the largest religious complexes in the world. Like all other temples in Egypt, it was constructed in a specific shape and was dedicated to a local god, in this case Amun-Ra. Pictures do not do justice to the immensity of it, but en evening sound and light show gives us some perspective. Following the show, we board our ship, the Sherry Boat, for four days of peaceful cruising up the Nile to Aswan, with stops at temples in Edfu and Kom Ombo. The ship is well-appointed, meals are substantial and staff very polite. Abdel, my guide, eats with me and once again, I am provided with a wonderful opportunity to make a good friend and to learn more about his country.

Our final destination, Aswan is picturesque and peaceful. I immediately like it – much better than Cairo, with virtually no traffic. Instead, the streets are full of a curios mélange of horse-drawn carriages, donkeys laden with heavy sacks, motorcycles, goats, and assorted other sights. My camera never stops as we take a carriage ride around the older parts of town. The next day we visit the High Dam, built to harness the annual Nile floods, the result of which was the gigantic artificial Lake Nasser, stretching 300 km south to Abu Simbel. In fact, we take a convoy across the desert from Aswan to Abu Simbel beginning at 5:00am the following day. Convoys are the only way tourists are allowed to travel by land in remote regions, mainly for security purposes, and ours is about 100 to 150 vehicles strong. The trip is worth the time. The huge temples of Ramses II and his queen Nefertari were completely dismantled in the 1960s to preserve them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, and today they stand inside artificial hills looking almost exactly as they would have in ancient times, only several hundred feet above their old location..

Similar convoys over the next two days take us to visit temples in Abydos and Dendara, and finally across the eastern desert to the resort town of Hurghada on the Red Sea for some rest before I fly back to Cairo.

Private Tour Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis, Sakkara

If You Go:

Egypt is filled with the 5000 year-old stories of kings and deities that ruled the greatest ancient civilization ever known – and that is the reason I and most tourists visit. It takes at least two weeks to barely grasp the immensity of this civilization. Here are some tips that might help if you decide to go there:

• At least take a course or watch some videos on Egyptian history before going. It will really improve your understanding of the culture as it can be overwhelming at first.
• If I were to do it again, I would personally minimize my time in Cairo and concentrate on Upper Egypt, with the exception of the pyramids and the Egyptian Museum. The many artisan shops were not for me but they may be for others. The traffic is relentless and just plain annoying.
• Don’t drink coffee before the long convoys. Usually, there are no planned stops and it could get embarrassing!
• The desert gets very cold at night and in the early morning. Take warm clothes.
• Be open to cultural differences. The continuous barrage of touts trying to sell something can be unnerving but that is how they do it. They are polite but one must also be firm in saying no. People are otherwise extremely friendly and will almost always go out of their way to please. Enjoy it, even though it may require a small tip or “baksheesh.”
• Don’t attempt to arrange a first visit without a guide, either private or part of a group tour. The culture is just too different.

My experience was first-rate. The company I booked through, A-Z Tours is well-organized and efficient. They can be reached at www.a-ztours.com.

Egypt Pyramid Tours Now Available:

Private Day Tour to Giza Pyramids Sphinx and Egyptian Museum in from Giza
Private-Day Tour to Dendara and Abydos temple from Luxor
Private Day Tour to Saqqara, Memphis and Giza from Cairo with Guide
Aswan Day Tour Visiting Philae Temple, Unfinished Obelisk and High Dam in Aswan

About the author:
Doug Matthews is a writer and educator based in Vancouver, Canada, with previous careers as an aeronautical engineer and special event producer. His writing ranges from technical engineering papers to general interest pieces for newspapers and magazines, as well as original music and mini-plays. He has also published three books on special events. Check out my blog about special events at www.specialeventguru.blogspot.com
Contact: gear6@shaw.ca

Photo credits:
Saqqara step pyramid by Enrico Nunziati from Pixabay
All other photos are by Doug Matthews.