A 5,000-year-old fire altar has been discovered in the oldest center of civilization in South America

[Judi Lynn]

25.05.2025 - 07:10



The site is linked to the Caral-Supe civilization, a pre-Columbian society that emerged long before the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built and predates the rise of the Olmecs by nearly two millennia.

Archeologists have discovered a 5,000-year-old fire altar at the Era de Pando archaeological site, revealing new secrets about the oldest center of civilization in the Americas.

Era de Pando is located in the Suppe Valley in Peru, northwest of the sacred city of Caral-Suppe, and is part of the wider Caral archaeological zone.

The Caral-Suce civilization had up to thirty large settlements in the present-day Caral region, with the first center forming around 3500 BC.

Era de Pando is one such settlement, consisting of 48 structures located around a central space, including pyramidal buildings, temples, and various dwellings.

More:
https://www.bgnes.com/science/a-5-000-year-old-fire-altar-has-been-discovered-in-the-oldest-center-of-civilization

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Discover Caral-Supe: Cradle of Civilization in the Americas

The Caral-Supe civilization developed independently in Peru 5,000 years ago. It may be unique because some claim that marine resources, rather than agriculture, led to its development.

Cradles of civilization are societies where humans developed complex social systems independently. Of the six, Egypt, India, Mesopotamia, China, and the Olmec civilizations undoubtedly formed thanks to agriculture. Yet Caral-Supe, on the coast of Peru, is neglected in traditional histories and may demonstrate a unique path to advanced development.

One hypothesis among the archaeological and historical community proposes that coastal communities with maritime foundations were the progenitors of this civilization. Caral-Supe was centered upon a sacred capital city originating 5,000 years ago, the oldest urban site in the Americas. Seventeen nearby settlements were part of this civilization, which controlled almost 700 square miles. Could a society without mass agriculture achieve these monumental feats?

More:
https://www.thecollector.com/caral-supe-cradle-of-civilization-americas/

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April 2, 2014 —
Caral: The Oldest Civilization in the Americas

Caral was already a thriving metropolis when the great Pyramids of Egypt were only being built!!

- click for image -

https://tinyurl.com/yvfr9en7

Caral, the oldest civilization in the Americas. Image by Erika Vicente from Pixabay

Caral (also referred to as Caral-Supe) is a stunning ancient city located in the Supe Valley of Peru. Today travelers can visit the Caral Ruins, which are believed to be the remains of one of the oldest cities in the Americas. Rewind time and the city of Caral was once a thriving metropolis for its local residents around the same time that the Egyptian pyramids were being built!

Caral: A brief history
The Caral Ruins are located about 200 km (125 miles) north of Lima in Peru.

Paul Kosok, an American history and government professor, was one of the first to study Caral in 1948. At the time, his findings were largely ignored due to the fact that he didn’t find any typical and sought after Andean artifacts on site. Peruvian anthropologist and archaeologist, Ruth Shady, later took over the exploration of this desert city of pyramids.

The evidence collected suggests that Caral was inhabited some 5,000 years ago, between 2600 and 2000 BCE (Before the Common Era, or Before Christ). For comparative purposes, the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt was built around 2600 BCE.



The remains of Caral are well preserved Photo by Roger D’Hondt

More:
https://www.peruforless.com/blog/caral