Plaza in Peru may be the America's oldest urban site

[Judi Lynn]

Plaza in Peru may be the America's oldest urban site



El Comercio

A circular plaza unearthed at the ruins of
Sechin Bajo, 230 miles north of Lima, may
have been a site for gatherings and
ceremonies, archaeologists say.

The circular structure at the ruins of Sechin Bajo is about 5,500 years old, archaeologists report.
By Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 26, 2008

LIMA, PERU -- An ancient stone plaza unearthed in Peru dates back more than five millenniums and is the oldest known urban settlement in the Americas, according to experts here.

Archaeologists say the site, uncovered amid a complex of ruins known as Sechin Bajo, is a major discovery that could help reshape their understanding of the continent's pre-Columbian history.

Carbon dating by a German and Peruvian excavation team indicates that the circular plaza is at least 5,500 years old, dating to about 3,500 BC, said Cesar Perez, an archaeologist at Peru's National Institute of Culture who supervised the dig.

That would make it older than the Great Pyramid of Giza.

More:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-fg-peru26feb26,1,1368464.story