Sights in North Coast
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Chan Chan
Built around AD 1300 and covering 28 sq km (17 sq mi), Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas, and the largest adobe city in the world. At the height of the Chimu Empire, it housed an estimated 60,000 inhabitants and contained a vast wealth of gold, silver and ceramics. The wealth remained undisturbed after the city was conquered by the Incas, but once the Spaniards hit the stage the looting began.
Within a few decades, little but gold dust remained. Although Chan Chan must have once been a dazzling sight, El Niño floods and heavy rainfall have severely eroded the mud walls. Today, the most impressive aspect of the site is its sheer size.
The Chimu c…
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Chan Chan
Built around AD 1300 and covering 36 sq km, Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas, and the largest adobe city in the world. At the height of the Chimú empire, it housed an estimated 60,000 inhabitants and contained a vast wealth of gold, silver and ceramics. The wealth remained more or less undisturbed after the city was conquered by the Incas, but once the Spaniards hit the stage the looting began. Within a few decades little but gold dust remained. Remnants of what was found can be seen in museums nearby. Although Chan Chan must have been a dazzling sight at one time, devastating El Niño floods and heavy rainfall have severely eroded the mud walls …
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Huaca Esmeralda
Halfway between Trujillo and Chan Chan, this Chimú temple is to the south of the main road, four blocks behind the Mansiche Church. Thieves reportedly prey on unwary tourists wandering around, so go with a large group or a guide and keep your eyes open. It was buried by sand and was accidentally discovered by a local landowner in 1923. He attempted to uncover the ruins, but El Niño of 1925 began the process of erosion, which was exacerbated by the floods and rains of 1983. Although little restoration work has been done on the adobe friezes, it is still possible to make out the characteristic Chimú designs of fish, seabirds, waves and fishing nets.
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Plaza de Armas
Trujillo's spacious and fetching main square hosts an impressive statue dedicated to work, the arts and liberty. The plaza is fronted by the cathedral, begun in 1647, destroyed in 1759, and rebuilt soon afterward. The cathedral has a famous basilica and a museum of religious and colonial art.
At 08:00 on Sunday there is a flag-raising ceremony on the Plaza de Armas, complete with a parade. On some Sundays there are also caballos de paso (pacing horses) and performances of the marinera (a typical coastal Peruvian dance involving much romantic waving of handkerchiefs).
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Museo Cassinelli
The Museo Cassinelli is a private archaeological collection housed in the basement of a gas station. The museum is fascinating, with hundreds of pieces that certainly don’t belong under a gritty petrol dispensary. Have a look at the bird-shaped whistling pots, which produce clear notes when air is blown into them (ask the curator to show you). Superficially the pots are very similar, but when they are blown each produces a completely different note that corresponds to the calls of the male and female birds.
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Huaca Rayada
This archaeological site was discovered by huaqueros from the nearby hamlet of Sipán. When local archaeologist Dr Walter Alva saw a huge influx of intricate objects on the black market in early 1987, he realized that an incredible burial site was being ransacked in the Chiclayo area. Careful questioning led Dr Alva to the Sipán mounds. To the untrained eye the mounds look like earthen hills, but in AD 300 these were huge truncated pyramids constructed from millions of adobe bricks.
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Complejo Arqueológico la Huaca el Brujo
This archaeological complex consists of the Huaca Prieta site, the recently excavated Moche site of Huaca Cao Viejo with its brilliant mural reliefs and Huaca el Brujo, which is only starting to be excavated. The complex is 60km from Trujillo on the coast and is hard to find without a guide. It’s technically not open to the public as there is little to see of the excavations so far, but tour agencies in Trujillo can arrange a visit to the area on request.
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Huaca Arco Iris
Also known locally as Huaca del Dragón, Huaca Arco Iris is in the suburb of La Esperanza, about 4km northwest of Trujillo. Dating from the 12th century, it is one of the best preserved of the Chimú temples – simply because it was buried under sand until the 1960s. Its location was known to a handful of archaeologists and huaqueros (grave robbers), but excavation did not begin until 1963. Unfortunately, the 1983 El Niño caused damage to the friezes.
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Reserva Nacional Lomas de Lachay
Reserva Nacional Lomas de Lachay is a 5070-hectare natural reserve where moisture from coastal mists has created a unique microenvironment of dwarf forest, which conceals a plethora of small animals and birds. The park has campsites and picnicking areas, pit toilets and trails, but there are no buses – you will have to hire a vehicle or hike from the Pan-American Hwy to get here.
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Museum
Further north, the village of Huaura, opposite Huacho, is where José de San Martín proclaimed Peru’s independence. Ask for someone to show you the building where it occurred. There is an inconsequential museum and a Spanish-speaking guide who’ll show you the balcony from where the desire for self-rule was decreed.
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Palacio Iturregui
The canary yellow 19th-century mansion Palacio Iturregui is unmistakable and impossible to ignore unless you’re color-blind. Built in neoclassical style, it has beautiful window gratings, slender interior columns and gold moldings on the ceilings. General Juan Manuel Iturregui lived here after he famously proclaimed independence.
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Casa Grau
Casa Grau is the house where Admiral Miguel Grau was born on July 27, 1834. The house was restored by the Peruvian navy and is now a naval museum. Admiral Grau was a hero of the War of the Pacific against Chile (1879–83), and the captain of the British-built warship Huáscar, a model of which can be seen in the museum.
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Casa Ganoza Chopitea
Casa Ganoza Chopitea, also known as Casa de los Léones, is considered to be the best mansion of the colonial period in Trujillo. The tourist police are housed here. Good contemporary Peruvian art is sometimes shown here, as are some rather arcane pieces that you may never have a chance to see elsewhere. Hours vary.
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Museo de Cabeza de Baca
About 5km south of town, off the Pan-American Hwy, is an overgrown archaeological site that was the home of the Tumpis people and, later, the site of the Inca fort visited by Pizarro. The story is told in the tiny site museum, Museo de Cabeza de Baca, which also displays some 1500-year-old ceramic vessels.
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Museo de Sitio Sipán
Museo de Sitio Sipán, opened in January 2009, is worth a visit – but note that the most impressive artifacts, such as the Lord of Sipán and the Sacerdote, were placed in the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán in Lambayeque, after going on world tour. Spanish- and English-speaking guides can be hired (S15).
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Museo de Sitio Chan Chan
At the Tschudi complex you’ll find an entrance area with tickets, snacks, souvenirs, bathrooms, the small Museo de Sitio Chan Chan with information in English and Spanish and guides (S18). The complex is well marked by fish-shaped pointers, so you can see everything without a guide if you prefer.
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Museo de Oro Vicus
The small Museo de Oro Vicus has an underground museum with gold from nearby Vicus culture sites. Some excellent pieces are displayed, including a gold belt decorated with a life-sized gold cat head that puts today’s belt buckles to shame. The hours here can vary with unexpected closures.
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Museo de Arqueología
The Museo de Arqueología displays a rundown of Peruvian history from 12,000 BC to the present day. There’s also a small but interesting collection of artifacts from the Huaca de la Luna. The museum is housed in La Casa Risco, a restored 17th-century mansion.
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Temples of the Sun and the Moon
The Temples of the Sun and the Moon are more than 700 years older than Chan Chan and are attributed to the Moche period. They are on the south bank of the Río Moche, about 10km southeast of Trujillo by a rough road. The entrance price includes a guide.
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Temples of the Sun and the Moon
The Temples of the Sun and the Moon are more than 700 years older than Chan Chan and are attributed to the Moche period. They are on the south bank of the Río Moche, about 10km southeast of Trujillo by a rough road. The entrance price includes a guide.
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Máncora Hot Spring
About 11km east of town, up the wooded Fernandez valley, a natural hot spring has bubbling water and powder-fine mud - perfect for a face pack. The slightly sulfurous water and mud is said to have curative properties. The hot spring can be reached by mototaxi.
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Sipán
In 1987, a royal Moche tomb at Sipán, 30km southeast of Chiclayo, was located by researchers. This find proved to be extraordinary as archaeologists recovered hundreds of dazzling and priceless artifacts from the site. Excavation continues.
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Lambayeque
Partly because of the rare treasures at Sipán, the Chiclayo area has single-handedly cornered the Peruvian market for exceptionally well-designed museums; a point in case is the excellent museum in Lambayeque, 11km north of Chiclayo.
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Iglesia de la Merced
The Iglesia de la Merced , built in the 17th century, has a striking organ and cupola. Uniquely, an altar here is painted on the wall, an economical shortcut when funds ran out for a more traditional gold or carved-wood alternative.
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Santuario de la Virgen del Socorro
The church above town, Santuario de la Virgen del Socorro, is worth a visit. Built between 1535 and 1540, it is said to be the second-oldest church in Peru. There are sweeping views from the restored belfry.
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