SITIO ARQUEOLÓGICO PACHACÁMAC

Take a combi under the Benavides bridge (Av. Benavides and Panamericana Sur) in the direction of Pachacamac/Lurin (count 45 min and a few soles). Mirabus also offers the excursion.

In Quechua, this name means "the soul of the world, the one who gives meaning to the world". We are here in presence of the most important sanctuary of the central coast dedicated to the god Pachacamac (the one that gives the life), that knew its apogee in the VIIIth century and was still at the arrival of the Spaniards an important center. The Incas, concerned about the cohesion of the empire, maintained this divinity in its temple. The site presents vestiges in adobe, walls decorated with human figures and fish, idols carved in wood. When the weather is good, there is a superb view from the main pyramid.

The visit is worthwhile, especially since the new museum enriches the experience. A work of reconstitution was made around the idol in wood of Pachacamac of which one found a carved totem rich in details.

You can also discover the site by bicycle with the bicitour: 2 hours tour on Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm, except the^first Sunday of the month.

Acllawasi. Just after the entrance on the right is the house of the chosen ones where the women selected for their culinary skills, manual skills or beauty lived and worked. This was one of the largest and most important of the coast, hence this elegant building in polished adobe with large trapezoidal windows surrounded by canals and water tanks. It was rebuilt under the supervision of Julio C. Tello. It can be seen from the outside and it is true that it does not lack presence.

Templo Pintado. Here we found a staircase painted in red and then murals of fish, birds and plants enriched the work. Perhaps it was the original place where the idol of Pachacamac resided. Unfortunately, the place is very damaged.

Templo Viejo. This impressive platform is made up of millions of adobe bricks and a ramp, and it is also the oldest. It dates from 200 to 550 AD. Many offerings have been found here as well.

Templo del Sol. It is the most imposing one facing the sea and the islands. On the east side, Max Uhle discovered in 1896 the cemetery of sacrificed women, probably from the elite, buried with a set of woolen clothes and Inca dishes. It is the Templo del Sol the biggest of all the Peruvian coast.