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The results of her investigations during the past decade have not only revolutionized the history of the development of civilization in Peru, but have also challenged the accuracy of theories of the origin of the state on a global scale. The absence of pottery and metal saved site from damage by huaqueros and even archeologists have lacked sufficient interest to investigate the huge artificial mounds that surround an extensive plaza on a terrace beside the Supe River.įortunately, the puzzling contradiction between the magnitude of the monuments and the rarity of other cultural remains aroused the curiosity of Ruth Shady. The few indigenous residents that remained in the valley did not disturb the mounds and recent commercial developers have not considered the agricultural potential profitable.

During subsequent centuries, the wind covered them further with sand and the dry climate collaborated by preserving everything that was buried. Some three thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Caral concealed the buildings beneath layers of gravel and waterworn pebbles and abandoned the valley.

Why did it happen here instead of in one of the broader coastal valleys to the north or south? Why did it disappear before the introduction of pottery, metallurgy, maize cultivation, and other features we associate with sedentary life? The answers to these and other questions are concealed in the abundant and varied remains of perishable composition preserved in the dry soil covering the architectural features. What she and her team have uncovered has revolutionary implications for reconstructing the evolution of urban civilization, not only in the Americas but throughout the world. Until Ruth Shady decided to investigate what lay beneath the massive piles of earth looming up on the alluvial terrace bordering the Supe Valley, they had attracted little attention from archeologists. What makes this one exciting is that no one knew it existed a few years ago. is a remarkable book about a remarkable site with a remarkable history and it should be read not only by archeologists, but by anyone who enjoys mysteries. 260, Perú.ġ Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. The City of the Sacred Fire / La Ciudad del Fuego Sagrado by Ruth Shady Solís. Chungara, Revista de Antropología Chilena Volumen 38, Nº 2, 2006.