Research intensified toward Andean civilization origins, leading to systematic prospection work in Peru’s Supe Valley that would underpin later field projects at Caral and nearby sites.
After multi-year survey identifying numerous Late Archaic settlements in the Supe Valley, the team selected the Sacred City of Caral for focused archaeological work; early efforts were supported by a small National Geographic Society grant.
Shady published early research results on Caral, helping establish the site’s importance and setting the stage for wider institutional backing and international scientific scrutiny.
Fieldwork broadened from the urban core of Caral to the neighboring settlement of Chupacigarro as threats to the site increased and the research program scaled up.
A peer-reviewed study reported radiocarbon dates demonstrating early monumental architecture and urban settlement at Caral (Late Archaic), catalyzing global interest in Norte Chico/Caral-Supe research.
The Peruvian state declared research, registration, enhancement, and conservation of the Sacred City of Caral-Supe of preferential national interest, formalizing high-level support and naming Ruth Shady to lead the special project.
Supreme Decree 003-2003-ED created the Caral-Supe Special Archaeological Project as an executing unit attached to the National Institute of Culture, enabling more sustained research, conservation, and site management across multiple Supe Valley centers.
A Master Plan framework for preservation and heritage enhancement (and associated local development goals) was approved by the National Institute of Culture via Resolución Directoral Nacional N.° 688/INC, guiding integrated work around Caral and related sites.
Work started to recover and re-evaluate Áspero (a coastal, Caral-contemporary settlement) after decades of degradation, expanding research and conservation from the inland urban center to key coastal nodes in the broader Caral-Supe system.
In response to risks from urban expansion, the Caral Project initiated research and conservation (“puesta en valor”) at Vichama (Huaura Valley), widening the program beyond Supe Valley sites closely tied to Caral-Supe cultural trajectories.
A multi-year physical–legal (saneamiento físico-legal) process culminated with definitive registration of the Caral-Chupacigarro land in Peru’s public registry in favor of the state, strengthening the legal basis for protection and management.
UNESCO added the Sacred City of Caral-Supe (Property ID 1269) to the World Heritage List, recognizing its outstanding universal value and strengthening international expectations for long-term conservation and management.
The Caral-Supe Special Archaeological Project reported winning a U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation award (special edition) to reinforce preservation work and public dissemination at the Sacred City of Caral.
After Peru created the Ministry of Culture (Law 29565), the Caral-Supe Special Archaeological Project was transferred and continued as the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC), maintaining its role as Executing Unit 003 for scientific, administrative, and financial management.
Reports of invasions and threats against project staff (including director Ruth Shady) highlighted persistent land-tenure and enforcement challenges affecting archaeological protection at Caral despite its protected status.
Following approximately eight years of research and restoration led by Ruth Shady and collaborators, the ancient center of Peñico (linked to later phases of the Caral tradition) opened for public visitation, extending the research-and-public-outreach arc beyond Caral proper.
Archaeological research history at Caral and related sites (1994–present)
