Cultural

Vista panorámica del sector norte de la mitad alta de la Ciudad Sagrada de Caral /
Panoramic view from the higher northern half of the Sacred City of Caral
América
formación para aproximarnos al conocimiento de un foco de
desarrollo diferente.
Si bien el Perú es conocido como un país pluricultural (culturas
Moche, Lima, Nazca, Chacha, Cajamarca, Huari, Colla,
Lupaca, Inca, etc.) y multilingüe (lenguas mochica, quiqnam,
quechua, den, aymara, puquina, etc.), se debe reconocer que
hubo procesos de integración, de respuesta a los retos de la
variada geografía y recursos. Así, más allá de esta diversidad,
los resultados obtenidos por cada sociedad convergieron en
beneficio del desarrollo nacional.
En este sentido, la primera integración fue promovida y
sostenida por la civilización Caral, que puso los cimientos de
la organización social, política y religiosa; del manejo transversal
del territorio y sus recursos; de la producción de conocimientos
y su aplicación tecnológica, y de otras expresiones
culturales, como el registro de la información en quipus o la
extensión del quechua como lengua de relación general, etc.
Ruth Shady Solís
La autora es Doctora en Antropología y Arqueología y fundadora
y directora del Proyecto Arqueológico Caral. Ha sido decana
del Colegio de Arqueólogos del Perú, directora del Museo
Nacional de Arqueología y Antropología del Perú y del Museo
de Arqueología y Antropología de la u. de San Marcos.
The author has a doctorate in anthropology and archeology, and is the
founder and director of the Caral Archeological Project. She has been
dean of the Archeological School of Peru, director of the National
Archeology and Anthropology Museum of Peru, and the Museum of
Archeology and Anthropology of San Marcos university.
Even though Peru is recognized as a multicultural (including
Moche, Lima, Nazca, Chacha, Cajamarca, Huari,
Colla, Lupaca and Inca) and multilingual country (Mochica,
Quiqnam, Quechua, Den, Aymara, Puquina, among others),
we must also acknowledge that there were integration processes
in response to the challenges posed by the varied
geography and resources. The results obtained by this society
were well beyond diversity and converged to benefit
national development.
The first integration attempt was promoted and sustained
by the Civilization of Caral, which laid the foundations for
social, political and religious organization; for cross-management
of the territory and its resources; for the production of
knowledge and its technological applications; and for other
cultural expressions, such as recording information in quipus,
or the extension of Quechua as the general language. These
contributions would last in Andean societies throughout the
thousands of years of its cultural process.
Meaning and Relevance
Caral - one of the oldest cities in the World (3000-2800
b.c.) - is at the basin of the Supe River, in the Province of Barranca,
184 kms from Lima. The city occupies 66 hectares of
an alluvium terrace, 25 meters above the valley bed. There are
32 public buildings, plazas, official residencies, servant residencies,
and domestic units gatherings distributed in a nuclear area,
divided into two halves, and a marginal area located around the
perimeter. The symbolic meaning of the public buildings alerts
to the fact that although they were renewed periodically, its caretakers
also made sure that articulation was kept between the
old and the new - between the past and the present.
Developments in this oldest of civilizations was impressive.
Knowledge of astronomy, math, biology, medicine, among
others, was applied for climate prediction; for the elaboration
of a calendar; for the construction of monumental architectonical
works; for the management of soil and water through
irrigation/drainage channels, and for the habilitation of farm
land; for the genetic improvement of plants; for the treatment
of illnesses; for the public administration and in the manufacturing
of ceremonial, commercial and sumptuary artifacts. The
production of knowledge, carried out by specialists, created
better living conditions for the entire population.
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