My Travels In Peru

The Dawn of Civilization

Until about the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologists commonly believed that the dawn of civilization in the Americas trailed, by at least two thousand years, that of the great civilizations of the East and Middle East: Sumer (Mesopotamia), Egypt (Nile Valley), Harappa (Hindus Valley), and China (Huang He Valley). The archaeological records of ancient Peruvian civilizations went back to about three thousand years ago, and evidence of ancient cultures abounded everywhere in the country. The most ancient included: the Moche of the north coast; the Chavin of the north highlands; the Lima of the central coast; the Paracas of the south coast; and the Tihuanacu of the south highlands (Lake Titicaca area).

Conventional wisdom was that five thousand years ago, while other civilizations thrived in large cities, ancient Peruvians lived in small tribes and were mostly hunters and gatherers. This didn't preclude agriculture, but, in the absence of cities, it was believed to have played a minor role in their lives.

A few decades ago, this concept of Andean civilization was turned on its head with the discovery of Caral and other ancient cities that, collectively, have become known as Norte Chico. Now we know better. Five thousand years ago was the era of pyramid building and growth of cities also in ancient Peru!

Between 150 and 200 km north of Lima, one finds four lush river valleys. The first is Huaura, followed by Supe, Pativilca and Fortaleza. To date, 24 ancient sites have been identified, each with an area of 10 to 200 hectares. Together, they form what archaeologists have termed the Norte Chico civilization, which existed between 3800 and 5000 years ago. Only the Sumerian civilization, which developed in the valleys of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, predates it in the world. Quite possibly, after all the archaeological work is completed, Norte Chico could be even older. However, with so many sites to excavate, it's doubtful that sufficient resources will be available to bring all of them to light. To date, the focus has been on the Supe Valley, and Caral in particular.

More recently, however, an even older city has been discovered in the mountains of Cajamarca, near the village of Miravalles. Uncovered to date are a large throne, a ceremonial centre, and a large circular pyramid. Carbon-dating tests indicate that it's more than 5,500 years old, putting it into the same time frame as Sumer, generally accepted as the oldest known city in the world.

Until the discovery of Norte Chico, Chavin de Huantar was considered the cradle of Andean civilization. Its architecture, artistic expression, and civil engineering are the most advanced of anything discovered in Peru. The famous Raimondi Stela and Tello Obelisk, now in the Lima Museum of Archaeology, come from there. With the Norte Chico discoveries, that title passed on to it, and now it has to be conferred to Miravalles.

Looking at a satellite map of Peru, one can easily identify the coastal region, a narrow strip between the western cordillera of the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It lies in stark contrast to the large area of green on the other side of the mountains. The coastal area is one long desert. Exceptions arise as one zooms in. These are the lush green valleys fed by the rivers born in the coastal mountains. There are hundreds of them!

These valleys were the cradles of Peruvian civilization. They are littered with large man-made structures, many of which were made from adobe, in the form of truncated pyramids, but the ravages of time turned them into hills. Although the coast is dry these days, the effect of heavy rainfall is quite noticeable by the sinews left on them. Contrary to current climate change concerns, El Niño effects are nothing new.

Let me take you on a voyage back to Peru of a few thousand years ago, when most of these sinewed hills were the signposts of vibrant cities, just like the skyscrapers of modern cities. The people who built them were thriving and thinking that life couldn't possibly get any better. It might be a similar situation for someone visiting our cities thousands of years from now. Can anyone imagine what our towers of steel, concrete, and glass will look like even a few hundred years from know? Will they still be standing like the Coliseum of Rome, or the Pyramids of Giza? Who knows! To future archaeologists they will seem just as fascinating as ancient Peru is to their brethren living today.

Our voyage back in time is not through a time machine, but through the imagination. It starts on a large reed boat in Lima's harbour, at the mouth of the Rimac River. As we head north along the coast, we meet boats traveling south laden with cargo destined for the markets of Pachacamac, a large city to the south of Lima, which we will visit on our return from the north – the cradle of Andean civilization.

As we approach the Supe Valley we can see hundreds of boats. We know we have arrived at a major metropolis. It looks like a good place to spend a few days, so we berth our boat and look for a place to eat. We didn't have far to walk. A row of eateries, along the first road from the beach, catered to travelers, merchants, and tourists. Grilled sea bass, the catch of the day, was cooked on stones heated from below by a wood fire right on the beach. It was served with yams similarly cooked. The fish was wild-caught and the yams organically grown: we didn't know food could taste so good. We set off to visit the city of Áspero, the first of many situated along the valley, stretching right up to the foot of the mountains.

The town was a hive of activity. The streets were all paved in stone and lined with stone houses. These were the artisans' abodes. One could buy tableware, tablecloths, fabrics of different colours and quality, fishing nets, and of course clothing. The street led us to the central square. It was huge and full of people. At this time of the day it served as the marketplace. People had brought their goods to market, and it looked like they were doing brisk business. Farmers had brought their fresh produce and fishermen their day's catch. There was a lot of haggling, but it was done amicably. We saw many smiling faces. People seemed relaxed and good-humoured. Just being there gave us such a good feeling: we were elated.

Facing the busy square sat an imposing palace, stepped like a ziggurat (truncated pyramid). It belonged to the city's founding family, rich beyond imagination. From there they controlled all aspects of the city's trade and commerce. On the left side of the square, when facing the palace, stood four large buildings, two of them with circular, sunken plazas. They were used for religious and ceremonial purposes. On the right side stood another large palace, which belonged to another branch of the governing family. They controlled the cotton farms and the textile business.

Lodging for travelers and tourists was located in the area between the beach and the main square: the commercial area. The residential areas were behind the palaces and the four temples. Of course, the elites lived closer to the palaces and places of worship. The common people lived farther out. The inns were more like guesthouses than present day Holiday Inns. They had two floors. Typically, guests were housed on the second floor; and the owner's family lived on the first floor, which also had the shared facilities. The rooms were Spartan but clean. The cotton mattress rested on adobe less than a metre above the floor, and the bedding was of fine quality. The city had the best Peruvian weavers. The hosts welcomed us with a cup of chicha, the common drink of the Andes, made from fermented corn.

The following day we traveled up river to the last and biggest city in the valley. We had passed many cities on the way up, but none compared to the modernity and splendour of Caral. Nestled at the foot of the mountains on both the east and south side, it basked in the glory of the mountain gods (Apus). The architects and engineers of Caral had introduced a level of refinement to its buildings that was lacking in all others we had passed. We arrived there at an opportune time. The entire city was celebrating. It was Viracocha's feast   – the Creator God's day.

Feasting there meant indulging in lots of meat and chicha. On feast days people didn't eat fish – that was everyday fare – they ate venison because it was rare and considered a delicacy. Vendors selling food and drinks lined the humongous square. People walked around with meat-on-a-stick, not unlike present day shish kabob, in one hand and a gourd filled with chicha in the other. For the vegetarians there was corn-on-the-cob, potatoes, and yams, all served on sticks.

When the sun plunged into the ocean, oil lamps were lit all around the square, and the pyramids that surrounded the square slowly receded into darkness, with the exception of their entrances, where oil lamps had been place to guide people in and out of them. Suddenly, there was the sound of music emanating from the sunken theatres, where dozens of musicians with various types of flutes and horns had started the evening's entertainment.

While the older crowd made themselves comfortable on the stone seats of the nearest theatre, to listen to the equivalent of a Mozart symphony, the younger crowd danced to the more lively music coming from the farther theatre. They danced in lines, with the women on one side and the men on the other. It looked like traditional Greek dancing – very animated. The Viracocha festival was celebrated during a full moon so that the festivities could go on under reflected sunlight until the moon sank below the mountains. What a celebration!