The Oldest City in the Americas

Yesterday I went to Caral with some of Liz's family. Caral is the oldest city/civilization in the Americas (5000+ years), and the 3rd oldest in the world (#1 Mesopotamia, #2 Egypt). Caral was discovered in 1994 and is still in the process of excavation. The archaeologists have found many pyramids, residential areas, an amphitheater (with instruments like pan pipes), and other buildings. Apparently, the civilization was peaceful and subsisted on agriculture and some fishing. Caral is 2 hours north of Lima, near the coast, in a beautiful valley with a little river running through it in the middle of the desert. It reminds me a lot of Ladakh, India, except it's 10,000 feet lower in altitude.

I barely enjoyed the visit as I suffered from bad cramps, dehydration, and other digestive issues from the previous evening's meal and from cramming 6 people in a taxi. Diarrhea and people sitting on each other's laps during transit (hopefully not at the same time) are two things I associate with travel outside the Western world. I opted out of the bumpy horse ride to visit the pyramids, and instead shuffled along the dusty path, held in my bowels, and envisioned mirages in the distance. I spent more time in the bathroom than at the pyramids, but luckily, the restroom is one of the best I've encountered anywhere in the world--clean, spacious, made of beautiful bamboo, and ecologically sensitive.