Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old city named Peñico in Peru’s northern Barranca province, revealing what is believed to be a significant ancient trading center. The discovery offers new insights into pre-Columbian civilizations that once thrived across South America.
Situated around 200 kilometers north of Lima and 600 meters above sea level, Peñico is thought to have been inhabited between 1800 and 1500 BC — the same period when early civilizations were emerging in the Middle East and Asia.
Researchers believe Peñico played a crucial role as a trading hub connecting communities from three distinct regions: the Pacific coast, the Andes mountains, and the Amazon basin.
Link to Caral Civilization
Peñico is located near Caral, the oldest known civilization in the Americas, established around 3000 BC. Caral is renowned for its monumental architecture, including 32 major structures such as pyramids, irrigated fields, and organized urban settlements. Scholars believe the Caral civilization developed independently of ancient cultures like those in India, Egypt, Sumer, and China.
According to Dr. Ruth Shady, the pioneering archaeologist who excavated Caral in the 1990s and now leads the Peñico research, this new site provides crucial evidence about the continuity and eventual decline of the Caral civilization, likely caused by climate change.
“Peñico was strategically located to facilitate contact and trade with diverse regions—coastal, highland, and jungle,” Dr. Shady noted.
Archaeological Findings
Excavations over the past eight years have revealed 18 structures at Peñico, including ceremonial spaces and residential buildings. Drone imagery captured a prominent circular structure atop a hill, encircled by ruins of stone-and-clay constructions.
Among the artifacts recovered are:
- Ritual objects
- Clay figurines of humans and animals
- Necklaces made from seashells and beads
These findings suggest a sophisticated society with religious, economic, and cultural systems.
Cultural Significance
Archaeologist Marco Machacuay from Peru’s Ministry of Culture emphasized the site’s importance: “Peñico shows how the Caral society evolved and continued its legacy in the region.”
Peru remains one of the richest archaeological landscapes in the Americas, home to iconic sites such as Machu Picchu and the enigmatic Nazca Lines — each testament to the country’s deep historical and cultural heritage.