An ancient, lost city dating back to between 1800 and 1500 BC has been unearthed by archaeologists in Peru’s northern Barranca province.

The city known as Penico sits approximately 200 kilometers to the north of Lima and is believed to have acted as a crucial link between coastal communities and those in the Andes mountains and Amazon basin.

Peñico is also close to where the oldest known civilisation in the Americas – Caral – was founded 5000 years ago in the Supe valley of Peru.

Clay sculptures of humans and animals, beaded necklaces and ceremonial artefacts were found in the ruins of the buildings. 

Archaeologist Dr. Ruth Shady, who manages the Caral Archaeological Zone and spearheaded the recent study into Peñico, as well as the Caral excavation in the 1990s, informed Reuters that this finding is vital for comprehending what happened to the Caral civilization after it succumbed to climate change.

Shady told Reuters that the Peñico settlement was “located in a pivotal area for trade and exchanges with societies from the coast, highlands, and jungle.”

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