Away from Machu Picchu: Peru’s other top archaeological sites

Dating from 2600BC, Caral is considered to be the earliest urban
settlement in the Americas. The sprawling pyramid complex is
located in the Supe Valley 200km north of Lima and was an important
urban centre for the Norte Chico civilisation, which thrived until
its decline from around 1800 BC.

The people of Caral were numerous (approximately 3,000-strong)
making it a bustling metropolis for the time and, with no evidence
of warfare, they are believed to have been an industrious,
peace-loving society. The 60-hectare site comprises temples, sunken
plazas and terraced pyramids, the largest and most impressive of
which is the Templo Mayor at 28 metres high and 150 metres
wide.

Despite these architectural feats, ultimately the people of
Caral appear to have surrendered to the harsh, arid landscape and
headed for more fertile land in the Andes where they successfully
exploited their knowledge of irrigation. These practices trickled
on down to the next great culture, 1,000 years later – Chavín.

Chavín

Nestled deep in the Andes, a 3-hour drive away from the nearest
city of Huaraz, is the Unesco World Heritage Site of Chavín.
Considered to be one of the major Peruvian cultures, Chavín’s
influence was felt from 900BC to AD200.

The site itself was built around 800BC as a political and
religious centre where ceremonial rituals are believed to have
taken place. It is thought that, as part of the initiation
ceremony, would-be shamans ingested psychotropic drugs before
running through the temple’s underground tunnel system to a
soundtrack of thundering water, which supposedly imitated the roar
of a jaguar – a sacred creature to the Chavín.

The thundering water would have been produced by the
sophisticated drainage and canal system that the Chavín engineered
to cope with the hardship of the Andean rainy season.

As well as impressive underground tunnels and irrigation
techniques, Chavín is significant for its art: symmetry, dualism,
and anthropomorphic carvings have remained important artistic
features for subsequent Andean cultures and can still be seen
today.

Chan Chan

On the Pacific coast of northern Peru lies a city made of golden
sand. Chan Chan is the largest adobe structure in the world and was
the political centre for the Chimú people who inhabited Peru’s
littoral from approximately AD900 to AD1470 when they were
conquered by the Incas.

A maze of melting mud, the complex is made up of passageways,
plazas and reservoirs, which are adorned with geometrical carvings
depicting pelicans, fishing nets and waves – all signs of the
Chimú’s close relationship with the sea. It is this maritime
culture, as well as its unusual adobe design, that makes Chan Chan
unique amongst Peru’s archaeological sites.

While generally a dry region, heavy rains brought in by the El
Niño phenomenon have eroded Chan Chan’s structures over the years
and made it difficult to protect the site and its future: all the
more reason to visit now and discover this giant, labyrinthine
sandcastle by the sea.

Kuelap

Perching atop a hill and overlooking the Utcubamba Valley in
northern Peru, the walled city of Kuelap was built in the 6th
century AD by the Chachapoyas, a culture whose influence was so
significant and enduring that the entire region was named after
them.

An enormous structure, 600 metres in length and with 19-metre
high walls, the effort required to build such a city, and 3,000
metres above sea level no less, would have been immense. Its
imposing walls are ruptured by a steep staircase which leads up to
the city within where remnants of roundhouses have surrendered
themselves to the overpowering vegetation. Lichen, moss and
bromeliads smother the remains creating an atmosphere of quiet
reverence.

A far cry from the manicured lawns of Machu Picchu, Kuelap’s
charm lies in its abandonment: trees grow in and around crumbling
ruins obscuring a view which, once reached, is spectacular, if a
little cloudy. But then again, Chachapoyas literally means ‘People
of the Clouds’.

Royal Tombs Museum and the Lord of Sipán

A veritable treasure trove of gold and silver and priceless
artefacts, the Royal Tombs Museum near the northern city of
Chiclayo must be one of the finest in Peru.

The site of Huaca Rajada (about an hour away) is where these
treasures were discovered: the pyramids at Huaca Rajada held within
them the remains of the Lord of Sipán, an important Moche leader
who would have ruled at some point between AD300 and AD700.

As further layers of the pyramid were excavated, more mummified
Moche leaders were uncovered, each in improving condition thanks to
their protected position deep inside the pyramid. To give an idea
of the significance of these rulers, the sheer abundance of riches
buried with the Lord of Sipán and the Old Lord of Sipán to
accompany them on their journey to the afterlife meant that the
discovery was likened to that of Tutankhamun!

Inspired by the original pyramid, the Royal Tombs Museum’s
design echoes the way in which the rulers were discovered: begin on
the third floor and work your way back in time as you uncover the
treasures of the Moche.

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