More than a hundred years after the discovery of Machu Picchu—the “lost city” of Peru—a newly unearthed ancient city, estimated to be 3,500 years old, has been revealed to the public. According to reports from The Telegraph and other outlets on July 6 (local time), Peru’s Ministry of Culture and local archaeologists held a press conference on July 3 to announce the discovery of the ancient city “Penico” in the Baranca region. Unearthed at an elevation of 600 meters, about 320 kilometers north of the capital Lima, the city is believed to have been built between 1800 and 1500 BCE.

The research team believes Penico served as a trade hub linking the Pacific coast, the Andes highlands, and the Amazon basin. Although initially discovered in 2017, it took eight years of research before the site was opened to the public. Researchers confirmed the existence of 18 structures at the site, including ceremonial temples, residential complexes, and murals. Drone footage captured by the team shows a central circular structure surrounded by stone and mud buildings. Inside the ruins, archaeologists uncovered human remains, clay figurines shaped like humans and animals, ritual artifacts, and necklaces made of beads and shells. Conch shell trumpets—symbols of power and authority—were depicted around the central plaza, according to the research team.

On July 3, archaeologists revealed the city’s structures, stating that this 3,500-year-old settlement likely flourished during the same era as early civilizations in the Middle East and Asia, serving as a trade hub connecting coastal and inland cultures. Penico is located 27 kilometers west of the Caral ruins, considered the oldest city in the Americas. Caral, built around 3000 BCE, is believed to have collapsed due to climate change after thriving alongside civilizations in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Lead archaeologist Ruth Shady emphasized that Penico may have been formed by people displaced by Caral’s decline, highlighting architectural similarities between the two sites. Penico opened to tourists on July 3, and Peruvian authorities plan to use digital restoration technology to recreate the city at its peak, allowing visitors to experience the ancient site vividly. The Telegraph also noted that Peru is home to many traces of ancient civilizations, including the highland city of Machu Picchu, built by the Inca Empire in the 15th century, and the Nazca Lines, created between 200 BCE and 500 CE.

(JoongAng Ilbo, 2025.07.07)