The Moche and Chimu Civilization, Peru

Local fisherman still use these little tortuga (reed) boats in Huanchaco to go out and catch fish
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After Chachapoyas we continued our archeological tour of Peru in the city of Chiclayo. We had met an incredibly cool guy named Renato in Chachapoyas who was also stopping in Chiclayo, on his way home to Lima. Since Chiclayo is not exactly a pretty city, the only real reason to visit it is to see the pyramids of Tucuman and the contents of the tomb of the Lord of Sipan.

When we got to the pyramids we were not exactly impressed. More than a thousand years of rain had washed away much of the adobe brick and they looked more like hills than man-made constructions. What was amazing, however, was how close you could get to an active archeological site.

Chan Chan or the largest adobe (mud) city in the world was once the home of 20,000 Chimu people
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There are three pyramids at Tucume. The first one contained the Lord of Sipan and has now been transformed into an imitation archeological dig. The other two pyramids are still being uncovered. Since almost every one of us has dreamt of being an archeologist at some point in our lives it was exciting to walk right up to these sites and see partially unearthed pottery, bones, and religious objects. We were surprised at how relaxed the whole scene was. The objects in these pyramids belong to the Moche, a prehispanic civilization that lived from 100 b.c. to 600 a.d. Yet many of the workers were actually taking their siestas inside the dig sites themselves--plopped up in a chair alongside a skull or an ancient urn. I´d imagined something more clinical, more formal. But then this is Peru.

A Peruvian dog. The most ugly creature we have seen sofar. No hair and evil look.
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After viewing the pyramids we went to the Museum of the Lord of Sipan, which contains the objects originally found in his tomb. Jan and I don´t normally find museums very exciting, and talking about them even less. But we both agree this is the best museum we´ve ever seen!!! It houses incredible pottery, clothing, and metalwork in a complex that actually mimics the tomb itself. Unfortunately, you´re not allowed to take pictures inside the museum…so you´ll just have to go yourselves!

The Huaca del Sol temple was used for ritual activity, as a royal residence and burial chambers. Different generations were responsible for building different levels.
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On the way out of the museum a bus full of school kids apparently found Jan and I more interesting than the mummies. They all pointed, stared at us in wonder, and started taking pictures. Some of them yelled ¨Hel low! Howah are you?¨ They were obviously very eager to practice their English. Renato found the whole thing tremendously entertaining. After Chiclayo Renato headed for Lima and Jan and I went to Trujillo to visit the Chimu ruins of Chan Chan.

If the Peruvians had seemed a bit lax about ancient Moche ruins, they had apparently been completely unimpressed with Chan Chan. Once the largest adobe city in the Southern hemisphere, a highway now cuts right through the center of it. Nevertheless, the sheer vastness of what still remains is impressive.

The Huaca del Sol is an adobe brick temple (pyramid) built by the Moche civilization (around 450 AD)
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We had planned to take a break from all the ruins by surfing on the gorgeous beach of Huanchaco. Unfortunately, while winter may not be very chilly in Peru, on the coast it translates into endless fog. With grey skies, grey water, and grey mud hills surrounding the city, we failed to see the charm that Huanchaco is known for. The waves looked like small mountains, far too large for us beginners. And we couldn´t even go for a ride on one of Huanchaco´s famous totora reed boats because it was too cold.

Renato and Anna cruising the grave of the Lord Sipan, the most important Moche ruler
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But at least it didn´t rain.

This was lucky because Jan and I were staying in a small little bungalow whose roof consisted of corrugated metal. Shortly after checking in we noticed that an entire slab of roof was missing…about one foot by 6 feet. I asked the duena what we should do if it rained, expecting her to either give us another room or send in someone to fix it. ¨Oh don´t worry,¨ she said. ¨Ít won´t rain.¨