11 April 2022
The Secluded Secrets of Northern Peru
Chan Chan
Trujillo
Huanchaco
Huaca de la Luna
A few miles away from Chan Chan you will find the remnants of an even older civilization. The Moche built two pyramids: each layer of the pyramids was built on top of the previous to provide a ruler with his final resting place. The one known as Huaca de la Luna (the resonantly named Temple of the Moon) is the one which most people tend to visit. The Moche, who built these pyramids between the first and eighth centuries were well known for their predilection for human sacrifices. If you have ever seen a certain Mel Gibson directed film you can imagine the shenanigans.
Huaca Del Sol
The Huaca Del Sol is the larger of the two pyramids and it too around one hundred million adobe bricks to build. Unfortunately only about a third of it is now extant because of erosion and, you guessed it, looting. As Chan Chan is the largest adobe city, so Huaca Del Sol is the largest single adobe structure in the Americas. Archeologists have studied the marks on the bricks and have ascertained that over one hundred different communities, from far and wide, contributed bricks to its construction.
The Royal Tombs of Sipán
You may be surprised to find such a beautifully stylized and contemporary museum among such ancient surroundings, but three hours drive from the pyramids the busy town of Chiclayo hosts the Museum of the Royal Tombs of Sipán. The museum was only opened in 2002 and is designed to look similar to the ancient mausoleums of the Moche people. It houses the discoveries of Doctor Walter Alva Alva and his first wife (who is buried on the front lawn), made in 1987. These discoveries are simply astounding and, astonishingly, do not seem to have become ingrained in the popular consciousness.
The museum houses a host of breath taking artifacts made from a variety of materials. They are from the tombs of two local Moche leaders, known now as the Lord and the Old Lord of Sipán. The tombs were discovered intact – no grave robbers had discovered their whereabouts and as such their amazing wealth and wonderful culture is there for us to see today. DNA analyses have been conducted and indeed, the two Lords are related, sowing that a single family probably ruled over the region in ancient times. Lord Sipán’s entourage of eight was buried with him – with no feet. No running away from their fate then.
Cajamarca
If you drive six miles inland you will come across the beautiful town of Cajamarca. As well as stunning colonial architecture you will discover the Ventanillas de Otuzco (see below), which are where the Incas buried their dead. The tombs were excavated from the volcanic rock that predominates in the area. There is also an Incan medicinal hot springs in the city, which saw the downfall of the Incan leader Atahualpa at the hands of the Spaniard Pizarro.
Kuelap
Having seen the above you have to be a little more adventurous to get to possibly the prize of Northern Peruvian archeological history. Kuelap is a huge fortress which overlooks the Utcubabma valley. Built for defensive purposes by the Chachapoyas the enormous stone walls that surround the site hold inside them the remains of over four hundred structures. The site was begun at about the same time the Romans were leaving Britain.
At three thousand meters above sea level the fortress represented a real challenge for its builders and it is large. It is as large as or bigger than other archeological sites in Peru and is six hundred meters in length. The walls at their highest are nineteen meters and as such there are numerous layers within the fortress to be explored. This you can do at your leisure and peacefully. While Mach Picchu receives half a million visitors each year Kuelap hosts a paltry three thousand. If you love your archeology but want the road less traveled then this is the spot for you.
The structures are mostly cylindrical and some of them have been restored (if that is the right word) to bear a resemblance to how they would have looked in their heyday. As with many of the other sites in Northern Peru, friezes of animals are an important part of the ornate decorations of many of the structures.
Gocta Falls
There is a final secret of Northern Peru that should be visited if possible. That is the incredible and only recently discovered (by Westerners of course, the locals have known about it for as long as they have been there) Gocta Falls. This twin drop waterfall is said to be the third longest in the world (hotly debated), at seven hundred and seventy one meters. The ‘discovery’ was not made until 2005.
So, if you are considering Peru for a destination, perhaps you should consider forgoing the more popular (and populous) destinations and head for the north of the country. It is perhaps a more challenging place to visit but possibly a more satisfying one.
Huaca Del Sol
The Royal Tombs of Sipán
Cajamarca
Kuelap
Gocta Falls
