<P> In the late Archaic , on the north - central coastal region of Peru , a complex civilization arose which has been termed the Norte Chico civilization , also known as Caral - Supe . It is the oldest known civilization in the Americas and one of the five sites where civilization originated independently and indigenously in the ancient world , flourishing between the 30th and 18th centuries BC . It pre-dated the Mesoamerican Olmec civilization by nearly two millennia . It was contemporaneous with the Egypt following the unification of its kingdom under Narmer and the emergence of the first Egyptian hieroglyphics . </P>
<P> In the late Archaic , on the north - central coastal region of Peru , a complex civilization arose which has been termed the Norte Chico civilization , also known as Caral - Supe . It is the oldest known civilization in the Americas and one of the five sites where civilization originated independently and indigenously in the ancient world , flourishing between the 30th and 18th centuries BC . It pre-dated the Mesoamerican Olmec civilization by nearly two millennia . It was contemporaneous with the Egypt following the unification of its kingdom under Narmer and the emergence of the first Egyptian hieroglyphics . </P>
what is the oldest known civilization in central and south america
what is the oldest known civilization in central and south america
the Norte Chico civilization , also known as Caral - Supe
the Norte Chico civilization , also known as Caral - Supe