Caral Supe: The Oldest Civilization in the Americas    
Location: Peru   Length: 12 min     56k    300k    700k      56k    300k    700k
Recent research shows that cities in the New World arose nearly a millennium earlier than previously believed. Radiocarbon dates from the ancient city of Caral, Peru, show that monumental architecture was under construction as early as 2627 B.C., even before ceramics and maize appeared. The site is enormous, with platform mounds (or "pyramids"), sunken circular plazas, and residences. Caral is by far the largest pre-2000 B.C. recorded site in the Andean region and seems to be the model for the urban design followed over four millennia.