Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Gabriela Machuca Castillo
For El Comercio

As far as the world is concerned, the American continent did not harbor civilizations as millenary as those in Egypt or Mesopotamia. 5,000 years ago, this region of the planet did not know a politically and economically consolidated society. Neither was there, in this area, an urban concept impressive in its architectonic complexity.

That is, until now.

The sacred city of Caral, located in the Supe valley 184 kilometres north of Lima, was declared Cultural Patrimony of Mankind by UNESCO and with this, it was made official that the oldest civilization in America was brilliantly developed in Peru. This new finding was announced during the 33rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Ruth Shady, director of the Caral-Supe Special Archeological Project (PEACS) and head of the investigations in this site for the past 15 years, is incredibly pleased with this news.

“Caral has preserved itself for the past 5,000 years. Our challenge now is to preserve it to benefit the present and future generations,” declares Shady from Spain for El Comercio, not without saying that the sacred city’s incorporation to the UNESCO list implies other advantages too, including access to the World Heritage funds, in case of emergency to prevent or repair any damage caused by possible catastrophes.

It must be mentioned that the World Heritage Committee, integrated by representatives of 21 countries, based its decision on the technical report done by the International Council of Monuments and Sites (Icomos). The PEACS began its candidacy in 2004 and was supported by the National Institute of Culture (INC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Shared Responsibility
But before celebrating, Shady wants to stress the fact that it is necessary that the local and national authorities demonstrate a real interest in making decisions and taking action to preserve and protect this heritage.

“I hope that now that we have finally gotten the declaration of Cultural Patrimony of Mankind, the authorities pay more attention to the projects that we have planned which were approved by Congress. We want Caral to become a cultural hub that encourages a sustainable development for the surrounding population,” she says.

The projects and work carried out by the PEACS in the sacred city and the other seven surrounding settlements of the Caral civilization continue. The goal is to preserve the mouments.

“Caral surprises us everyday. Its authenticity and age have been recognized by UNESCO and that is priceless. I want to congratulate every Peruvian from the bottom of my heart for this triumph because we are all inheritors of this tradition. What we have accomplished with this nomination is recognition of our ancestors. It’s a praise that we must all celebrate,” concludes Shady.

Translated by Diana Schwalb