The Lesser-Known Civilization Whose Pyramids Were As Old As Egypt’s
The rise and fall of Peru’s Caral-Supe Civilization
Archaeologist Ruth Shady Solis of Peru’s National University of San Marcos was traveling north in 1994 when she came across a large mound. The region is an arid desert around 23 kilometers from Peru’s coast.
Solis realized she had discovered something. Unearthing it was going to be a challenge. Her excavation budget was limited. She couldn’t afford to pay her assistants and often worked alone in the empty valley. She sometimes slept in her car, which was risky. Once, she almost got robbed when assailants tried stealing her vehicle and shot her in the knee.
Yet, she did not give up.
Lacking official support, Solis rallied 25 Peruvian army personnel to assist in her digs. Her tenacity paid off when she discovered a stunning 5,000-year-old city containing arguably the world’s earliest pyramids.
Wait, did I say the world’s first pyramids?
In Peru?
When we think of pyramids, we imagine the gigantic structures built by the ancient Egyptians. The “New World” is unlikely to cross your mind. Pyramids in the Americas? It must be the Chichen Itza. They aren’t that old!
