Definition of Caral Culture

In the territory Peru is the sacred city of Caral and other urban settlements where 5000 years ago there was one of the oldest known civilizations. It is located in the Supe valley 200 km north of Lima. Among archaeologists is civilization It is known as the Caral-Supe Culture and is considered the parent culture of the different Andean civilizations.

Economy, technology and architecture

Its settlers lived off the farming and they grew cotton, chichara, beans, corn, pumpkin and sweet potato. They also engaged in fishing and for this they used nets made of cotton. Likewise, they maintained a exchange of products with other peoples.

From a technological point of view, the settlers practiced a form of pre-ceramic, since they did not use heat to manipulate the clay, but they did model small figures which were then left to dry in the sun. To build their buildings and the water supply channels they had to handle advanced mathematical knowledge.

Numerical control over their activities was carried out through quipus, ropes with a sophisticated system of knots.

The archaeological remains found highlight a complex architecture. The sacred city of Caral has an area of ​​66 hectares, where public buildings, squares, pyramids and houses appear. And all this in a walled enclosure. The location of public buildings is closely related to the position of the stars.

Some evidence found show that it was an advanced civilization. Proof of this is the use of medicinal plants, musical instruments such as flutes and cornets, hair ornaments and sculptural and pictorial elements.

Society and religion

Religion served as an element of cohesion in society. Like other pre-Columbian civilizations, in the Caral Culture human sacrifices were made. This practice had a certain logic for the settlers, since if the gods are the ones who manage the forces of the nature, some kind of special offering or sacrifice was necessary for the divinities to be satisfied.

There was a social class dominant and a majority of the company dedicated to different specialized activities. The families worked on the same piece of land, the ayllu.

Photos: Fotolia - Mark