Latin America

The 3,800-year-old statuette dates back to the oldest known civilization in the Americas.
Andrew Paul

Published Sep 2, 2025 11:44 AM EDT



The Caral people viewed frogs as symbols of water and rainfall. Credit: Peru Ministry of Culture

The Americas’ oldest known civilization had a thing for frogs. At an archaeological site about 68 miles north of Lima, Peru, investigators recently discovered a first-of-its-kind statue attesting to the Caral people’s affinity for amphibians. The tiny, symbolic artwork and other discoveries presented at a recent Ministry of Culture press conference highlight 18 years’ worth of excavation, conservation, and research at Vichama, a site inside the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC) in Peru’s Huaura Valley.

The Caral civilization
Also known as Norte Chico, the Caral civilization existed almost 5,000 years ago, placing the Andean culture alongside the rise of ancient Egypt. The Caral people represent the earliest known example of a complex society in the Americas, with experts often comparing their advancements to those in the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia.

At its height, the Caral civilization included an estimated 30 urban centers linked by trade, agriculture, fishing, and religious beliefs across present-day Peru’s north-central coast. The Caral managed these expansions without ceramics or widespread warfare. Despite this, the Caral’s influence reverberated into the Chavín and Moche peoples, as well as the later Inca Empire.

Stories of ‘shortages and hope.’ And frogs.
Archaeologists have spent nearly two decades combing through the Vichama site, which served as an urban agricultural and fishing hub around 1,800 BCE. Vichama featured at least 28 major structures including public buildings, homes, and ceremonial plazas within an area of only about a tenth of a mile.

Experts highlighted a pair of unfired clay models of buildings that emphasize the Caral culture’s understanding of urban planning and symbolic value. But the team placed particular importance on a remarkably well-preserved, 4.72 inch long sculpture of two frogs joined at the hind legs. The discovery is the first artwork of its type found at a Caral site, and speaks to the amphibians’ cultural significance.

“In the Andean cosmos, frogs are associated with water and rainfall, essential elements for agricultural cycles and survival in ancient societies,” lead archaeologist Tatiana Abad said during the press conference.

More:
https://www.popsci.com/science/ancient-frog-statue-caral-peru/