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About 20 years ago, Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Shady Solis of the University of San Marcos revealed that the pyramid city of Caral was already a thriving metropolis at the time when the great pyramids were being built, thus predating all known pre-Columbian civilizations by millennia.
Caral is one of the many population centers of the now long-gone Norte Chico civilization that inhabited modern-day Peru. This civilization, as it appears, was not inferior to the ancient Egyptians. Among the grandeur structures of Caral, archaeologists have discovered pyramids, round squares, an amphitheater, numerous homes, and even an underground irrigation system.
It is no wonder why scientists often refer to Caral as one of the engineering marvels of the ancient world. The city was built to withstand powerful earthquakes that often occur in the seismic territory of Peru.
How did Caral remain hidden from our eyes until recent years? It was actually discovered in 1905 by German archaeologists but since all the structures we see today were hidden under hills and mounds, it did not draw the necessary attention. It took more than 60 years before it grabbed the attention of archaeologists and then another 20 before excavations began.
