2001/04/27 by Ruth Shady, Jonathan Haas, Winifred Creamer · 8 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1059519
openalex publication_date 2001/04/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Radiocarbon dates from the site of Caral in the Supe Valley of Peru indicate that monumental corporate architecture, urban settlement, and irrigation agriculture began in the Americas by 4090 years before the present (2627 calibrated years B.C.) to 3640 years before the present (1977 calibrated years B.C.). Caral is located 23 kilometers inland from the Pacific coast and contains a central zone of monumental, residential, and nonresidential architecture covering an area of 65 hectares. Caral is one of 18 large preceramic sites in the Supe Valley.