More than a century ago, American archaeologists discovered in Peru, near Lima, several fragments of household utensils made of ceramics, which turned out to be at least 4 thousand years old. Despite such a considerable age, the finds turned out to be rather primitive and they were successfully forgotten. But in 1994, a powerful Pacific hurricane passed in these places, washing away a layer of sand from the area near the village of Karal. Under it, as it turned out, mysterious ruins were buried for many centuries.
The first to be interested in the find was Professor Carlos Vecco Rachio, who represented the National Museum of Archeology and Anthropology in Peru. The specialist recalled local Indian legends about the wonderful city of sun worshipers, in which stones, illuminated by the sun, turned into gold. But as soon as a person stretched out his hands to the jewelry, they caught fire and evaporated. Local peasants have also preserved legends about the beautiful city. Despite the fact that they are officially listed as Catholics, their religion has retained many pagan customs. The Indians believed that in these places there used to be a city buried under the sands of their ancestors, who were sun worshipers. Therefore, they often came to this place to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors. They also believed that an eternal flame still burns in the ruins of the city.
The professor managed to find another local legend, recorded in the 18th century by Spanish missionaries, which claimed that the eternal flame served as a reliable defense for the city, which did not even have fortress walls. However, the inhabitants of the legendary city, apparently, were mistaken: wild warlike tribes destroyed the ancient city, turned temples, huts of peasants and artisans, altars and steles into ruins. During excavations by Peruvian archaeologists, evidence of fires and damaged pyramids were found.
Carlos Rachio began excavations immediately, but then realized that on his own (and he had only 7 people under his command) he would not be able to free the ancient ruins from the huge mass of sand. At first, the scientist turned to his American colleagues for help, but due to the political tension that had developed between Peru and the United States at that time, he was refused. Instead, the professor was given a whole regiment of soldiers at his disposal. And the work began.
By April 2000, Carlos Rachio had managed to clear the temple complex and six pyramids. Scientists realized that they faced not just the ancient city of South America, but the center of an unknown Indian culture, which, after the name of a nearby town, was named Caral. According to other hypotheses, Caral was the center of the ancient civilization of Norte Chico.
It was also possible to establish that the longtime residents were hastily leaving the ancient city. On the city territory, archaeologists have discovered a single burial: the skeleton of a young man with a damaged skull rested in it. Another archaeologist, Ruth Shadi, suggested that the ancient Indians fled their homes due to the disasters caused by the warm El Niño sea current brought to the coast of Peru, causing rains, catastrophic floods and landslides.
In trying to determine the age of the ancient city, scientists used different methods and various artifacts. Experts from Lima named the figure - about 5 thousand years. This means that the stone Caral is more years old than the Egyptian pyramids, the ancient temple complexes of the Incas, Aztecs and Mayans.
Then Rashio, his staff and the military began to clear the huge pit with wide stone steps. It turned out to be a skillfully constructed amphitheater, reaching over 60 meters in diameter. In its center stood a monolithic altar covered with millennial soot. Apparently, it was in this place that the eternal flame, mentioned in the legends, burned for centuries. Moreover, it also proves that the inhabitants of Karala were sun worshipers.
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Under the altar, a network of underground canals of unknown purpose was also discovered. Over time, military and archaeologists have suggested that the canals were a tactical trick of the local priests. In ancient legends, it is said that on the days of the great holidays, the priests, with a wave of their hands, made the eternal flame burn especially strongly and high. Apparently, it was through these channels that the air flowed to the altar. It seems that the priests have learned quite well how to calculate when exactly the air currents will rush from the ocean.
The researchers were able to draw up a plan for the sanctuary. In its center there was an amphitheater with an altar, pyramids and temples were erected around it. One of them was built on a monolithic foundation, and each of the blocks of the monolith reaches more than one and a half meters in width and slightly less in height. It seems that this temple was considered the main one. The largest of the temples was located at the edge of the complex. Nearby there were quarters where artisans lived and worked. It was here that everything needed was produced - accessories for priests, musical instruments, axes, hoes, ceramic dishes, ornaments for temples. It is noteworthy that during the excavations, neither precious stones nor gold items were found. Likewise, no weapons, even primitive ones, have been found. The population in the city was at least 7 thousand inhabitants, although in the valley,surrounding Caral, there could have been 20 thousand population. Outside the temples, settlements of gardeners and gardeners were located. In total, 19 pyramids surrounding Karal were discovered on an area of 80 square kilometers.
Scientists even managed to establish that the inhabitants of the ancient city ate maize, fish, shellfish, fruits, peppers of various varieties, sweet potatoes, beans, pumpkin, cucumbers, herbs. The city had a perfect irrigation system, which was later destroyed by the invaders. The destruction was completed by the sands, which for many millennia hid Karal from prying eyes.
Reflecting on the planning of temple buildings, the location of quarters and settlements, scientists from Peru and the United States hypothesized that the whole life of ancient Caral was ruled by priests. They acted as judges, administrators, festival organizers, astronomers. Their pyramids were built to observe the sky and to draw up the calendar cycles of the year for the needs of agriculture. And it seems that the Caral pyramids became models of other, later Indian civilizations. Unfortunately, the barbarians destroyed the tops of the pyramids of the ancient city, so science cannot study its observatory.
One of Karal's secrets was revealed by journalists from Germany who photographed the city from paragliders. They were the ones who were able to see the human head carved into the rock with flowing hair and an open mouth. Its dimensions - 24x40 meters - are in no way inferior to the figures of the Nazca plateau. One of the hypotheses claims that the bas-relief is a symbol of the farewell of the Karalites to their abandoned homeland.
It is also interesting that scientists have not been able to find a single hieroglyph, pictographic sign or samples of other types of writing. Although, judging by the level of development, writing should have existed here. Maybe everything of value was taken away by the priests, and their knowledge and experience could be used by the Mayans, Incas or Aztecs. At least the pyramids of Caral and later Indian settlements are strikingly similar.
But still the question remains, why did such a long time interval arise? Before the discovery of Caral, the Olmec culture was considered the most ancient civilization on the continent, which flourished in the 6th-4th centuries BC. But even the Olmecs are separated from Caral by almost 2.5 millennia. Perhaps, says Professor Carlos Rachio, between them there must be a number of intermediate civilizations, which, alas, have not yet been discovered.
To date, scientists have completed excavations at Caral. Archaeologists have completely cleared the quarters of the sand, the amphitheater, but so far, due to lack of funds, they have not begun to study the pyramids. First, the Peruvian authorities withdrew the military from the excavation, then there were no state and university appropriations.
Carlos Rachio laments that as soon as the scientists left Caral, many underground grave diggers began to engage in unauthorized excavations here. Their findings can be considered lost to science already ahead of time, at best they will settle in private collections. But we are talking about revealing the secrets of human civilization, which, perhaps, will never be revealed.