Architects champion ancient Peruvian design principles

The sacred city of Caral-Supe, the site of an urban settlement established 5,000 years ago by the Caral civilization in the coastal desert of central Peru, is by many accounts an engineering marvel. With its complex architectural features, including monumental stone and earthen platform mounts and sunken circular courts, was designated a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2009.

The ancient city was the focal point for a gathering early this month of the International Union of Architects (known by its French acronym, UIA), whose members used the occasion to issue a document entitled the Caral Letter, which celebrates the city as an example of sustainable urban planning in harmony with the natural environment. According to UIA Adviser José Arispe, the ancient builders of Caral built flexible foundations to withstand earthquakes, maximized the availability of fertile land for agriculture by building on arid ground, and used innovative design techniques to supply air to fires used in religious ceremonies. These engineering feats are all the more impressive considering that they were accomplished without the tools builders have came to rely on, whether the wheel or the plum line.

The Caral Letter is to be formally presented at the upcoming UN climate conference in Paris.