Caral is the ancient city in Peru considered the oldest urban settlement in the Americas.
Caral lies in the Supe Valley of Peru, about 180 kilometers north of Lima. It was the largest known center of the Caral-Supe, or Norte Chico, civilization, which flourished along Peru’s Pacific coast roughly between 3000 and 1800 BC. Archaeological evidence shows monumental platform mounds, sunken circular plazas, residential areas, and organized public spaces.
Radiocarbon dating places Caral’s main occupation at approximately 2600–2000 BC, making it contemporary with the early Egyptian pyramids and far older than the Inca sites most visitors associate with Peru. Unlike Machu Picchu, Caral was not a later mountain citadel; it was a preceramic urban and ceremonial center.
“Oldest city in the Americas” is a conventional description rather than an undisputed absolute. Related sites, including Huaricanga and Bandurria, may have equally early or earlier urban features. Even so, Caral remains the standard answer because it is exceptionally well studied and represents the best-known center of the earliest recognized American civilization.