The Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has signed archaeological cooperation agreements with Peru's Ministry of Culture Caral Archaeological Zone, and the National University of San Marcos' Professional School of Archaeology to jointly conduct archaeological research on the Caral civilization.
This marks the first official entry of Chinese archaeological institutions into South America, opening a new chapter in archaeological cooperation between the two great ancient civilizations of China and Peru.
The Caral civilization, which flourished along the northern coast of Peru, dates back approximately 3000 BC to 1800 BC, and is the earliest-known civilization discovered in the Americas to date.
According to the agreements, both sides will conduct comprehensive archaeological research at Caral civilization sites. The scope of cooperation covers field survey and excavation, scientific and technological archaeological research, cultural heritage conservation, and joint talent training.
Subsequent cooperation will extend to the Inca civilization remains in the Andean highlands, conducting comparative research between the ancient civilizations of China and South America. Following the signing of the agreements, the China-Peru joint archaeological team will launch the first phase of field survey, reconnoitering the valleys of the Chancay-Huaral and Supe rivers, and conducting on-site inspections of key sites, to further refine subsequent excavation implementation plans.
This cooperation fills the gap in the field of archaeological work of Chinese archaeological institutions in South America. The Chinese side will obtain first-hand archaeological data on early American civilizations, facilitating comparative research on ancient civilizations around the Pacific Rim and contributing a Chinese academic perspective to the global study of the origins of early complex societies.
The Peruvian side, in turn, will benefit from China's accumulated practical experience in scientific and technological archaeology and cultural heritage conservation, achieving mutual academic enrichment.
Academic exchanges between China and Peru in the field of archaeology span more than half a century. As early as 1973, Xia Nai, then director of the Institute of Archaeology, CASS, led an archaeological delegation to Peru, conducting on-site visits to important sites such as Machu Picchu. The following year, a Peruvian archaeological delegation returned the visit to China, marking the beginning of two-way academic exchanges between the two countries.
In recent years, cultural and museum exchanges between China and Peru have continued to deepen, and the many historical threads that echo between Peruvian civilization and Chinese civilization have laid a solid academic and public foundation for the implementation of this joint archaeological project.
