Sun and Moon temples, Chan Chan Citadel and Huanchaco

Peruvian temples and mystery

Visit the temples of the Sun and Moon at the Mochica archaeological site on the northern coast of Peru. The Temple of the Stars and the White Hill Temple pyramids are also located here, along with the renowned spider geoglyph perched on the hillside nearby.

The mysterious Mochica culture was centered here from AD 100 to 900. The Moche Temples cover an area of 148 acres and are separated by an esplanade 500 yards wide, under which lies the urban center where the Moche élite lived. The Mochica era ended because El Niño brought tropical rains and floods to the northern coast of Peru.

Back in time to the Chimu Empire

Then proceed to the Chan Chan complex, the capital of the ancient Chimu Empire. This large ancient metropolis lies just three miles from Trujillo and is close to the ocean. Historians estimate that Chan-Chan had a population of 50,000 to 60,000 people.

This adobe city also contains nine enormous and quite distinguishable enclosures, each constituting a smaller city within the larger urban center. Chan Chan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and covers nearly eight square miles. It is almost a thousand years old and is an amazingly well preserved testimony to the sophistication of South American society long before the Incas or Spaniards started interfering.

Everyday Peruvian life

Finally visit the picturesque fishing village of Huanchaco offers a chance to see the famous caballitos de totora. These "little reed horses" are a type of high-prow boat that the local fishermen essentially ride like horses over the crest of each wave. They have been used by Peruvian fishermen for millennia and seem to work quite handily despite their rather insubstantial appearance.