Caral archaeological site. Professor Ruth Shady writing an excavation report at the sacred city of Caral, Peru. Professor Shady is a Peruvian anthropologist and archaeologist who founded the project to excavate the site at Caral. She first visited the area in 1994. Caral, located in Peru's coastal desert region, was one of the centres of the Caral Supe civilisation, a pre-Hispanic culture dating from the period 3000-1600 BC. The site was discovered in 1905, but it was not until 2001 that it was realised that it was up to 5000 years old, making it the earliest known South American civilisation. The Caral site includes the remains of pyramids, temples, houses, and an amphitheatre.