Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-jl) -- A team of specialists headed by archaeologist Alejandro Chu has informed that structures found in Bandurria may be as old as structures found in Caral, Peru, deemed as the oldest citadel in the Americas.

Located north of Lima, near the city of Huacho, the Bandurria archaeological center has been found to have similar structures as those found in Caral. Among the similarities are a circular plaza made with circular borders, and a ceremonial center made of clay, all in an asymmetrical style.

According to Andina News Agency, the age of these structures may go back as much as 4,500 years.

The structures posses items that come from a time that has not been studied profoundly in the Americas. Among the items found at the site is a set of villager's clothing, which scientists say may help shed light on the process of a people who evolved from a classless society into a civilization with hierarchies.

Another important artifact found at the site was a fish net made of cotton considered to be the oldest of its kind in America.

The site was recently discovered in 1970, thanks in large part to climatic changes that uncovered some of the structures. The archaeologist Rosa Fung was the first to study the site, which at the time was the home to a small group of settlers who have since relocated.

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	Caral, Peru: The oldest citadel in the Americas (by LIP, Mar. 16, 2007)
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