We are in the desert wilderness, the only greenery around us is a strip of scrappy growth alongside a bubbling river that flows alongside the road - well they call it a road, but some in the back of our bus are under the distinct impression that we are on a roller-coaster ride to hell as we hurtle along a primitive dirt track. The river that accompanies us is fed by the Andes and like the Nile in Egypt, it is the only source of water and the lifeblood to the small communities that we have encountered on the four hour drive from Callao - the port city of Lima, Peru.
So much of our destination reminds me of Egypt, the thin green line beside the water is planted in crops by farmers who live a basic subsistence here. Life is hard but they still find the time to stop and wave at the sight of our busload of pale white gringos who have interrupted their daily toil by passing in a dust-storm that settles over their meagre crops of passionfruit and sugar cane.
In order to reach an isolated Archeological site located in the Supe Valley and named Caral, our trip this morning has brought us through miles of barren sandy landscape, pock-marked with shanty towns and basic slums. Currently an area that does not feature high on any "must do" list, it’s not advertised in shiny brochures or pushed by uninformed travel agents and yet it is one of the most important sites in the Americas. It may not be as glamorous as Machu Picchu, but it is not just another pile of rocks, its older and in my mind far more interesting.
They were building what we now call Caral, at the same time that they were building the Step Mastabas that would eventually evolve into Egypt’s Pyramids.
For years the odd archeologist had glanced over the hills into this valley, but then moved quickly on believing the topography to be unimportant and insignificant compared to other sites in the Americas. That is until 25 years ago when Ruth Shady - a curious Peruvian Anthropologist and Archaeologist, climbed on top of one of the mounds and started digging. Not only did she discover that the mounds were pyramids, but 5000 years old and built at the beginning of human civilisation.
It was thought that originally, we lived in cities for protection against other warring tribes, but the discovery of Caral was to blow that theory right out of the water. Here they found no weapons, no fortifications and from the few skeletons that they found, have detected no physical signs indicating war or threat.
Also, contrary to popular theories about pre-Incan civilisation, the temples show no sign of human sacrifice. Here, there were no babies slaughtered or slaves disemboweled on the stone "steps to heaven”. It appears to have been an entirely peaceful city with 3000 people living on the 60 hectare site and 20,000 living in the surrounding valley. All peaceful and growing their crops alongside the river and quietly, but dramatically practicing their religion on the six pyramids and various temples spread throughout the city.
In recent years they have uncovered most of the mounds, but have left one buried in the minutia of millennia to demonstrate how concealed the valley had been for centuries. The now exposed complexes have great stone steps leading up to a crest where the priests lived and worked venerating their gods and leading the inhabitants in peaceful co-existence. Sacred fires burnt continuously in pits at their base and forums and amphitheaters for the entertainment of the populace were scattered throughout the community.
It is thought that the city was abandoned because of El Nino, the nearby river drying up and the temperature becoming too hot to grow crops. Finally abandoned to be left and slowly covered by the desert sand blown ever remorsefully over the foundations and stone walls. Global warming well before the greenies discovered it.
Ok - so I'm a geek - if it’s not Cruise Ships that get my wheels spinning, it’s ancient Archeology.
Not only are we the only tourists at this site, but it is also a really raw historical dig. They are still working here and making new discoveries daily, tourism is in its infancy, but the facilities and paths are all ready for the inevitable influx of hardy travellers who will eventually no doubt, discover it as one of the newest and most important digs in the Americas - that is once this Global virus is under control.
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