Arthur's Blog: Caral Might Become One of the Top Attractions in the Western Hemisphere of the Twenty-First Century

It is 120 miles north of Lima, Peru, its fame so new that it has only a single hotel of twenty-two rooms to house the growing number of people who come to view it. It spreads over an arid, desert plateau, where impressive ruins of pyramidal religious structures, tombs, sporting arenas, residences, and other ancient structures mark the location of the oldest large city of the Western Hemisphere.

Its name is Caral, and it flourished at least 5,000 years ago, long ante-dating such other ancient cities as Machu Picchu and Chichen-Itza.

In fact, Caral is as old as the ancient pyramids of Egypt, and in its unexpected Peruvian location has turned most histories of ancient times topsy-turvy. Mention its name to professional archaeologists, and they will turn giddy with excitement.

So why haven't you heard of Caral before? And why aren't more Americans heading there? To begin with, it is only in the past half-century that archaeologists began writing about Caral -- and then, usually only in scholarly journals. And the tourist authorities of Peru have been late to publicize it (in my humble view) as a major touristic lure. Finally, because most recent visitors have been professional archaeologists living in tents and the like, there hasn't until recently been a reason to develop standard accommodations for normal tourists.

That housing shortage began changing within the last year, with the opening of the nearby (to Caral) Hotel Empedrada, a somewhat upscale boutique hotel with only 22 rooms. But with most of those rooms now rented by comfort-seeking scientists, it's unlikely that the Empedrada can be relied upon for reasonably-priced vacancies. To learn whether you can use it for your own self-drive trip from Lima, see Hotelempedrada.com. And note, too, in that website, the remarkable aerial photograph (or drawing) of the densely-packed Caral, looking like a miniature Manhattan.

Though I myself don't know of budget-priced lodgings near Caral, travel journalist David Appell, doing the research at my request, has recently discovered a few housing options. In a late-night e-mail to me, he wrote:

There are several towns within reasonable distance of Caral, and I found one particular guesthouse in Supe Puerto, on the coast about 14 miles from Caral, with various tours and transportation options to the ruins. It's probably the best and most interesting option because right near it is another set of ruins, called Áspero (AHSS-pe-ro), a smaller settlement that was part of the Caral civilization and dates to the same era (it traded fish and other products from the sea for Caral's farm produce): La Casa de Isidora -- no rates given but quite modest.

For a larger town (pop. 140,000) with more amenities and more/better lodging choices than Puerto Supe, Barranca, also on the coast, about an hour from Caral, is a good choice. Lodgings include Hotel Chavín (Cha-VEEN), $30-$35/night, full amenities including restaurant and pool in center of town; and Chorrillos Beach (cho-REE-yohss) out at the beach, also full service with pool, etc.

It's probable that you can also cadge a room in someone's home, or a makeshift B&B, in the several other small villages on the way to Caral, and thus live inexpensively if unpretentiously on a visit there. (That uncertainty about lodgings is part of the adventure that awaits you if you do decide to be an early tourist there). And there are also full-day tours to Caral from Lima that various small bus companies offer.

Whatever approach you choose, you'd be wise, and enlightened, by a trip to this large, ancient urban site -- a city linked to the very rise of civilization -- on a trip to the northern part of South America.