Long before the age of the Inca and Maya, a remarkable city once flourished on the coast of modern Peru. Founded more than five thousand years ago, the sacred city of Caral is home to monumental pyramids, lavish temples and one of the world's earliest urban societies.

Tristan Hughes is joined by Jason Nesbitt to uncover the story of this remarkable Mesoamerican settlement. How did this ancient city emerge in the arid Supe Valley? What do its pyramids and plazas reveal about life 5,000 years ago? And is Caral truly the oldest city in the Americas?

See photos of the Sacred City of Caral-Supe here

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Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

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Caral: Oldest City in the Americas?

The Ancients

Caral: Oldest City in the Americas?