Túcume
Located 33km (20 miles) north of Chiclayo, this magnificent, massive complex of 26 adobe pyramids (not for nothing do locals call it "El Valle de las Pirámides") was constructed by the Sicán civilization around A.D. 1000 and developed over a period of nearly 500 years. The site was settled and enlarged by the Chimú culture in the 14th century and, finally, occupied by the Incas. Túcume was the most important elite urban center of the region and is considered the last great capital of the Lambayeque culture.
You can wander freely around the maze of courtyards and pyramids, and even scale several of them, which are still being excavated and together present an enigmatic desert ensemble. Walking around sites such as these is almost more evocative of what a contemporary archaeologist's life is like than of the lives of those ancient cultures that lived there. The Túcume complex's stunning size, more than a mile long in each direction (a total of 32 hectares/79 acres), is more impressive than any individual structure. The pyramid toward the back of the complex, known as Huaca Larga, is reputed to be the largest adobe brick structure in South America. It measures (even after erosion) 700m (2,297 ft.) long, 280m (919 ft.) wide, and 30m (98 ft.) high. A massive platform with several patios and courtyards connected by ramps and corridors, the huaca has walls covered in red, white, and black murals. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of the three major stages of construction in Huaca Larga, from the original Lambayeque to Chimú, whose "Temple of the Mythical Bird" dates to 1375, and finally an Inca structure built on top of the Chimú building at the end of the 15th century. Inside the Inca room was a burial tomb, where 22 bodies were discovered, including a local ruler and warrior, interred along with two other males and 19 females.
An interestingly conceived site museum exhibits photographs of the excavations and discusses the involvement of a Norwegian explorer, the late Dr. Thor Heyerdahl, who sought to connect ancient Peruvian culture to that of Polynesia. (He sailed a balsawood craft called the Kon Tiki from Peru to the Polynesian islands.) Heyerdahl was the director of the 1989 to 1994 Túcume Project, which carried out excavations at the site. Also on-site are a handicrafts-and-ceramics workshop and a snack shop. You'll often find women cooking out in the open on the grounds.
Located 33km (20 miles) north of Chiclayo, this magnificent, massive complex of 26 adobe pyramids (not for nothing do locals call it "El Valle de las Pirámides") was constructed by the Sicán civilization around A.D. 1000 and developed over a period of nearly 500 years. The site was settled and enlarged by the Chimú culture in the 14th century and, finally, occupied by the Incas. Túcume was the most important elite urban center of the region and is considered the last great capital of the Lambayeque culture.
You can wander freely around the maze of courtyards and pyramids, and even scale several of them, which are still being excavated and together present an enigmatic desert ensemble. Walking around sites such as these is almost more evocative of what a contemporary archaeologist's life is like than of the lives of those ancient cultures that lived there. The Túcume complex's stunning size, more than a mile long in each direction (a total of 32 hectares/79 acres), is more impressive than any individual structure. The pyramid toward the back of the complex, known as Huaca Larga, is reputed to be the largest adobe brick structure in South America. It measures (even after erosion) 700m (2,297 ft.) long, 280m (919 ft.) wide, and 30m (98 ft.) high. A massive platform with several patios and courtyards connected by ramps and corridors, the huaca has walls covered in red, white, and black murals. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of the three major stages of construction in Huaca Larga, from the original Lambayeque to Chimú, whose "Temple of the Mythical Bird" dates to 1375, and finally an Inca structure built on top of the Chimú building at the end of the 15th century. Inside the Inca room was a burial tomb, where 22 bodies were discovered, including a local ruler and warrior, interred along with two other males and 19 females.
An interestingly conceived site museum exhibits photographs of the excavations and discusses the involvement of a Norwegian explorer, the late Dr. Thor Heyerdahl, who sought to connect ancient Peruvian culture to that of Polynesia. (He sailed a balsawood craft called the Kon Tiki from Peru to the Polynesian islands.) Heyerdahl was the director of the 1989 to 1994 Túcume Project, which carried out excavations at the site. Also on-site are a handicrafts-and-ceramics workshop and a snack shop. You'll often find women cooking out in the open on the grounds.
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