RUTH SHADY: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS AND DISCOVERIES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Ruth Shady (1946 - present) is a Peruvian professor, archaeologist, and anthropologist whose archaeological discoveries in South America have impacted the scientific community. It has even had to rethink the way in which the evolution of man on the continent is studied.

Shady is considered one of the most influential archaeologists in the history of Latin America, and one of the most important scholars in Peru. She has held various positions in various universities and scientific centers in her country, and has participated in international research; particularly in the United States.

Ruth Shady at a conference. CARLOS AUGUSTO SALAVERRY Magazine «El Perú Ilustrado» from wikipedia.org -– Gabriela Gómez Lapenta Social Communication, Ucab 23,790,121 Tlf: +58 412 0375253 6 Attachments

The scientist is mainly recognized for her contributions regarding the ancient Peruvian civilization of Caral. Although other scientists had already identified the archaeological site before the archaeologist's team, Shady dedicated several years to the development of research that served to redefine the understanding of humanity in South America.

Currently, aged 71, Shady is dedicated to teaching at the Universidad Mayor de San Marcos, where he works with graduate students in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Biography

Early life and influence of his father

Ruth Shady was born December 29, 1946 in Callao, Peru, under the name of Ruth Martha Shady Solís. Her father was Gerardo Hirsh, who changed her name to Heinz Shedy to escape the war that was raging in her country.

Hirsh arrived in Peru at the age of 20, when Europe was in the middle of World War II. Her mother was a local from Peru, named Rosa Solís Pita.

Her father was the main source of influence that led her to become an archaeologist. When she arrived in Peru, she developed a very particular interest in the country's past. The ancient cultures that inhabited Peru in the past became a great influence on Ruth's father.

When she was just a girl, her father gave her and her brothers archaeological books that told the history of ancient Peru. From that moment, the girl's interest in archeology (and in the study of what came before) grew.

Years of study

He studied at the Juana Alarco educational unit, where he studied academically during the first years of his life. In this school, she was part of the so-called “Museum Club”. Her development in this club once again defined her interest in the ancient culture of her country.

After finishing her basic education, she completed her secondary studies at the Juana Alarco de Dammert Emblematic Educational Institution in Lima, Peru. Then, she decided to enroll at the University of San Marcos to study anthropology and archeology in 1964.

Her mother was against her becoming an archaeologist, but the young woman's interest made her stick with her decision.

As a woman, she encountered many difficulties in her time as a student. Archeology had always been seen, traditionally, as a discipline carried out by men.

However, she volunteered to carry out excavations at the Huaca de San Marcos. She worked there as a volunteer, while she was doing her university studies. She completed her professional studies by doing a research internship at the Smithsonian Institution in 1978.

Between 1982 and 1985 he was in charge of an archaeological component of the construction project of the Museum of Anthropology. On the other hand, he did internships on the processing of cultural materials in Nice, France.

First research projects and activities

On a professional level, her vocation for archeology has led her to direct a number of research projects within Peru, in addition to making extensive contributions to socio-political organizations.

Shady has conducted research in the district of Lima Végueta, in the archaeological complex known as Maranga located in Lima, in the archaeological site located in northern Peru known as Pacopampa, in Chota in the Cajamarca region and in Bagua.

In many of her investigations she was accompanied by the archaeologist Hermilio Rosas LaNoire. In addition, she was the director of the Professional Academic School of Archeology at the University of San Marcos. Shady claimed to love her alma mater, which is why she was interested in continuing to be close to her.

She was also a research fellow at the Dumbarton Oaks study center in Washington, United States, during the years 1992 and 1993. On the other hand, she made several trips around the world to expand her experience on cultural heritage in Switzerland, Japan, China, India, Germany and Canada.

Apart from the research, he devoted himself to university teaching and to the direction of the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology of the National University of San Marcos, for approximately ten years.

His publications and exhibitions helped propel his students toward new scientific programs.

Caral-Supe Archaeological Special Project

Ruth Shady was the founder of the Caral-Supe Special Archaeological Project, which began in 2003 with the Caral-Supe investigation. However, Ruth Shady had been developing it before the state intervention in 1996.

The project aims to investigate and preserve the archaeological site of Caral. In this site are the first samples of the Caral civilization, developed between 3,000 and 1,500 BC. C, being one of the first complex populations in the north central area of ​​Peru and even America.

Over the years the project has expanded and has investigated, conserved and managed around ten archaeological sites in the Supe Valley, including: Chupacigarro, Áspero, Miraya, Allpacoto, as well as Pueblo Nuevo, Piedra Parada, El Molino, etc.

In his direction, Shady has developed a public archeology capable of promoting the economic and social development of populations based on archaeological heritage for tourist use.

The intention of the project - in addition to promoting regional heritage - encourages the development of productive infrastructures, sustainable production and the development of good educational conditions.

These initiatives of the institution are framed within the "Master Plan of the Supe Valley and its area of ​​influence" exposed since 2006.

Most recent jobs and activities

Ruth Shady has been the director of the Caral Archaeological Zone from 2003 to the present.

The Peruvian archaeologist is part of the Caral Archaeological Zone, even being the director of this Peruvian public entity. The institution was created on February 14, 2003, but ratified on March 18, 2006 with its own autonomy.

As an initiative of the Caral-Supe Special Archaeological Project, the Caral Archaeological Zone is responsible for the research and conservation activities of Caral as one of the oldest civilizations in America.

Between 2006 and 2007 she was dean of the Professional College of Archaeologists of Peru and coordinator of the Master in Andean Archeology at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos from 1999, 2007 to 2010. Until 2012 she was president of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

Main publications

Ruth Shady throughout her career as an archaeologist was in charge of writing a huge number of publications both in her homeland and abroad, as well as countless articles in magazines.

Among his main publications are: The Sacred City of Caral-Supe at the dawn of civilization in Peru in 1997; which makes an account of the indigenous people of South America, the situation of Peru-Supe, the antiquities and the excavations carried out.

In 2003 he published The origins of Andean civilization. A year later, in 2004, she published the work entitled Caral, the City of Sacred Fire, in which she recounts the magnitude of the monuments, the rarity of cultures and all the curiosities that Shady aroused after her investigations.

Then, in 2006, he published the work in English Caral-Supe and the North-Central Area of ​​Peru: The History of Maize in the Land Where Civilization Came into Being. Later, in 2011, he published La Civilización Caral, the production of knowledge and its importance in the cultural process of Peru.

His latest publications were published in 2013: La Civilizacion Caral: The Sociopolitical System and Intercultural Interaction and The social system of Caral and its importance: The transversal management of the territory.

Contributions and discoveries

The first civilization of Peru

The existence of the first civilization in Peru gave it the name of "Civilización Caral", while in English it was named as "Civilización Norte Chico".

Between 1994 and 1996 the discovery is attributed to Ruth and her team thanks to their archaeological work through the Caral-Supe Special Archaeological Project.

The Caral-Supe civilization is considered the first oldest civilization of the pre-Hispanic civilizations, surpassing even the Olmec civilization. In fact, Caral is considered even older than Chavín, which had long been considered "the mother culture of Peru."

In short, the city of Caral is considered the oldest civilization in the entire American continent; It is approximately 5,000 years old. Currently, the civilization zone is an archaeological site with approximately 620 hectares, located in the Supe district, Peru.

Caral-Supe was part of a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2009, thanks to the contributions and in-depth research of Ruth Shady's team.

Beginning of the archaeological processes in Caral-Supe

Starting in 1996, Shady's team began the first excavations in the Caral-Supe area, Peru, after an archaeological survey.

Shady commented that research activities should first be developed in the archaeological zone, combined by a comprehensive and multidisciplinary research program that includes excavation, prospecting, analysis of materials and information processing.

After archaeological surveys in the place, eighteen settlements with monumental architecture that lacked ceramics were identified, being a clear indicator that it belonged to a fairly ancient period. Hence, Shady became interested in increasing her investigations in the Caral area.

Shady used radiocarbon dating as a radiometric measurement method to determine the age of ancient carbon-containing materials. This type of technique uses a chemical reagent to determine such information.

According to the radiocarbon dates that Shady carried out, the Caral settlement belongs to the Late Archaic period, characterized by being civilizations with previous uses of ceramics, in addition to having developed precociously compared to other civilizations in America.

Prospecting process

The team commissioned to carry out the archaeological investigations headed by Ruth Shady was in charge of carrying out a series of preliminary processes in order to find the complete desired results, and with the need to comply with a scientific method.

In this sense, the first process called by Shady as “prospecting” was divided into several stages: the first consists of a process of compiling bibliographic information, such as, for example, previous archaeological investigations, rural and urban cadastres.

A collection of photos and aerial and satellite images is added. The second stage consists of carrying out extensive field work with the use of complete topographic equipment, archaeological evidence, current states and affectations.

Ruth Shady's team has made records of the site's existing architecture, as well as petroglyphs. They also located quarries, clay and rivers that, according to Shady, were also used by ancient civilizations.

Excavation and information process

After the prospecting process, archaeological excavation follows in order to recover evidence that cannot be observed first-hand on the surface. Shady considers the importance of excavation as a record and removal of cultural materials in order to arrive at an understanding of the ancient societies of Caral.

For the recovery of evidence from the Caral area, Shady affirms the need for meticulous registration throughout the entire procedure, such as archaeological architecture for example. In this case, an interpretation of the materials and structural characteristics of the buildings was achieved.

Finally, it emphasizes a full knowledge of such architecture to understand how they should be preserved.

After collecting all the field data, conclusions should be drawn as reflected in specialized reports, books and scientific articles. In addition, specialized computer programs in graphics, topographic, architectural, volume and surface processing are used.

As a closure to the project, Shady established a series of procedures and methods that must be followed in order to preserve the architecture and any type of object of Caral, both to those in charge of the place and to tourists.

References

1. Ruth Shady: La dama de Caral, writing of La República, (2006). Taken from larepublica.pe
2. Ruth Shady, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
3. Who are we ?, Portal Zona Caral, (nd). Taken from zonacaral.gob.pe
4. Archaeological Investigations, Portal Zona Caral, (nd). Taken from zonacaral.gob.pe
5. Review of "Caral: The City of Sacred Fire" by Ruth Shady, (nd). Taken from redalyc.org
6. Ruth Shady, Website Archeology Channel, (nd). Taken from archeologychannel.org