Caral urban center: construction, occupation, and decline (c. 3000–1800 BCE)

1. Earliest construction begins at Caral-Supe

   Jan 1, 2627 BCELabels: Caral-Supe, Radiocarbon dating

   • Science gov
   • SciAm
   • ScienceDaily

2. Monumental platform mounds and sunken plazas proliferate

   Jan 1, 2600 BCELabels: Platform mounds, Sunken plazas

   • UNESCO
   • SciAm
   • Oxford

3. Irrigation agriculture supports growing urban population

   Jan 1, 2500 BCELabels: Irrigation agriculture, Supe Valley

   • ScienceDaily
   • Oxford
   • UNESCO

4. Cotton–seafood exchange underpins regional economy

   Jan 1, 2400 BCELabels: Cotton seafood, Coastal communities

   • Oxford
   • SciAm
   • MesoWeb

5. Regional network of contemporaneous Supe Valley centers forms

   Jan 1, 2300 BCELabels: Supe Valley, UNESCO

   • UNESCO
   • Science gov
   • Oxford

6. Later building phases continue within dated occupation span

   Jan 1, 2200 BCELabels: Radiocarbon ranges, Construction phases

   • SciAm
   • Science gov
   • ScienceDaily

7. Caral’s peak occupation approaches its late phases

   Jan 1, 2100 BCELabels: Peak occupation, Ceremonial use

   • UNESCO
   • Oxford
   • SciAm

8. Main occupation at Caral ends by about 2000 BCE

   Jan 1, 2000 BCELabels: Main occupation, Caral abandonment

   • UNESCO
   • SciAm
   • WikiCaral

9. Abandonment leaves exceptionally well-preserved architectural remains

   Jan 1, 1950 BCELabels: Site preservation, Abandonment

   • UNESCO

10. Wider Norte Chico system declines by around 1800 BCE

    Jan 1, 1800 BCELabels: Norte Chico, Regional reorganization

    • Oxford
    • WikiCaral

11. New post-Caral centers emerge in nearby valleys

    Jan 1, 1800 BCELabels: Post-Caral centers, Pe ico

    • WikiPe ico
    • AlJazeera

12. Caral-Supe recognized as a key early Andean urban tradition

    Jan 1, 1800 BCELabels: Andean urban, Heritage recognition

    • UNESCO
    • Oxford
    • History com