A forgotten city from 3,000 years ago has been discovered: Here’s how you can visit it
Archaeologists uncover Peñico, a 3,800-year-old city in Peru, revealing early Andean trade networks, Caral heritage, and the symbolic use of hematite.
In Peru, a city hidden for nearly 3,000 years has emerged in the modern province of Huaura, north of the country’s capital, Lima.
According to reporting from CNN, officials who led the excavation—which took place over nearly a decade—say the city of Peñico dates back to 1800 BCE. The outlet reports that the working theory is that the city was built to function “as a strategic urban center,” which connected “the coastal communities of the Supe Valley with settlements in the high Andes and Amazon.”
Much older than the Inca...
Many people are familiar with the Inca civilization, known for building awe-inspiring structures like Machu Picchu. But Peñico was built nearly three thousand years earlier. While Machu Picchu was constructed in the 15th century—around 200 years after the Inca Empire began to dominate the Andes—Peñico dates back to around 1800 BCE, making it part of a much older cultural tradition.
An ancient city of connection
A press release from the Ministry of Culture explains that the archaeological remains of the city are located 600 meters (~2,000 feet) above sea level, “situated on a geological terrace parallel to the Supe River and a large alluvial cone, and surrounded by hills reaching up to 1,000 meters (~3,280 feet) in height.”
Archaeologists believe the builders—part of the Caral tradition, a people who developed a powerful and advanced civilization in the Supe Valley—chose the site for several reasons. These included protection from natural disasters like flooding and landslides, as well as its strategic position as a meeting point that promoted exchange between different populations.
Shifts in power and prestige
The discovery of Peñico has led researchers to develop new hypotheses about the history of the Caral people. According to the Ministry of Culture, one theory suggests that Peñico rose in importance after the decline in prestige of earlier major cities in the Supe Valley, such as the Sacred City of Caral. As Caral’s influence waned, Peñico gained prominence through “the social and economic interaction networks established in earlier times.” One aspect of Peñico’s value remains especially clear: its role in the mining of hematite, a mineral used to produce red pigment. The Ministry explains that hematite “held significant symbolic importance within Andean cosmology.”
How to visit Peñico?
This weekend, vistors have decded on Peñico for the first tradiational Andea festival to take place at the site. “The event will [included] a ceremony of offering to Pachamama, a recognition of the local population for their connection to cultural heritage, and an artistic festival," reported the ministry.
For those who are looking to visit the newly discovered site that is now open to tourists. The site is home to a parking lot for vistors as well as a reception area and information center where those who make the journey can learn more about how life was in Peñico.
The archological site is a great day trip for those who find thesemves in Lima, as it is only located an hour and a half away. " The route is similar to the one used to visit the Sacred City of Caral," explains the ministry, the difference being that “Visitors should take the turnoff to the Supe Valley (via Caral–Ámbar), located at kilometer 184 of the Panamericana Norte."
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