The recent discovery of a ceremonial fireplace believed to be
more than 5,000 years old sheds light on one of the oldest
populated sites in the Americas. The fireplace, dubbed the
Temple of Fire, was discovered within the El Paraiso
archeological complex in the Chillon valley, located just
outside the bustling Peruvian capital. Archeologists say the
site is comparable in age to Caral, the oldest pre-Columbian
site in the Americas that was inhabited between 2,600 - 2,100
BC. Caral is located some 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the
north and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fireplace was
found when archeologists discovered a narrow entrance on a wing
of El Paraiso's central pyramid in January, when they were
removing sand and stones. "We quickly realized the importance of
this discovery," said Marco Guillen, the head archeologist at
the site. The entrance, measuring some 48 centimeters
(19-inches) wide, leads to a chamber measuring eight by six
meters (26 by 20 feet) where shellfish, grains, flowers and frui