Category: "Archaeology"

Lima’s Archaeological Sites (.KMZ)

September 26th, 2008 |

I’ve been putting together a map of some of Lima’s estimated 10,000 archaeological sites. The vast majority of these, as shown in the Lima Precolombina series, are found in the middle of regular residential areas of Lima and include Inca palaces, towering pyramids and the ruins of towns and cities.

Since posting Glorious Pre-Columbian Lima, I’ve had dozens of requests to make the Google Earth placemarks I used available as a downloadable .kmz file. This is something I definitely want to do, but with so many sites it will always be a work in progress. In the course of mapping the pre-Columbian artificial water channels the Spanish thought were rivers, for example, I noticed 3 archaeological sites I had no idea existed.

Glorious Pre-Columbian Lima

September 15th, 2008 |

When Francisco Pizarro arrived in the Rimac valley, founding the city of Los Reyes on the 18th of January 1535, he arrived in place quite different from what you might imagine. Here was an expansive green and fertile land, in the middle of the Peruvian desert coast, home tens of thousands living under the rule of the Incas. Where Lima is found today was once a land of pyramids and palaces, cities and farms, with complex irrigation canals spanning kilometres in length bringing water to every home.

Taulichusco, Lima’s Last Curaca

September 14th, 2008 |

The Inca Empire had all but collapsed, the Inca capital of Q’osco had been conquered and a puppet emperor placed on the thrown. By following the Inca road from Jauja to Pachacamac, conquistador Pizarro was back on the coast with many of his men looking for a place to found his city. The choice was obvious… the green paradise spanning out from the river Rimac, a vast urban and agricultural area home to tens of thousands of indigenous who had transformed the desert with complex irrigation systems and who had constructed countless towering truncated pyramids that could be seen for miles around.

Maranga and the Lima Culture

September 11th, 2008 |

In the heart of Pre-Columbian Lima, at the time of the arrival of the Spanish, a vast city was found south of the Rimac River between modern day Lima and Callao. Certainly the administrative centre of power in northern part of the Inca province of Ischma, with Pachacamac an important centre of the south, this city was built long before by the native “Lima Culture” who lived here. Today most of this important complex has been destroyed through the efforts of the Peruvian Government, the University of San Marcos and the Peruvian people in the earlier part of the last century – a time when Peruvians couldn’t care less about their ancient past. Remaining though, and some now finally being restored, are several large huacas, pyramidal mounds, that bare testament to Lima’s long history.

Huaca Mateo Salado

September 10th, 2008 |

Found at at the Plaza de la Bandera where the district of Pueblo Libre meets Breña and Lima Cercado, the ruins of five pyramids that make up this Lima Culture complex called Huaca Mateo Salado tower over the surrounding modern houses.

Conquest of the Huarco of the Cañete Valley

September 3rd, 2008 |

Six centuries have now passed since the young Túpac Yupanqui, chief commander of the victorious army of his father the grand Inca Pachacútec, set eyes on this extensive green valley for the first time from the dry desert hills above, the valley that today is called Cañete. Strategically allied with the Chincha further south and the local rulers of what is now a town called Asia further north, perhaps the young Inca thought the conquest of the prosperous Guarco (Huarco) people would be simple.

Intact Wari tomb at the Huaca Pucllana

August 26th, 2008 |

Built by the Lima Culture, the Huaca Pucllana eventually came under the control of the vast Huari (or Wari) Empire. Although various Wari artefacts have been discovered here, this is the first Wari-period tomb to be uncovered.

Ruins of Maucallacta

August 24th, 2008 |

Six hours from Arequipa, on the route to the Coropuna volcano, are the ruins of an ancient ceremonial centre eventually assimilated by the Inca Empire. Today, Polish and Peruvian archaeologists, with the help of locals, are restoring what is truly a lost treasure.

Did the Incas explore the Pacific?

August 15th, 2008 |

There has long been evidence, most of it barely investigated, that Andean peoples and Polynesian peoples have had contact various times in their pre-Columbian pasts. It has even been suggested that people arrived in South America from Polynesia – evidence of human activity in Chile from a time before humans were supposed to have crossed the Bearing Straits has been found.

Machu Picchu Virtual Tour

July 26th, 2008 |

I’ve found this really great video of a walk around the ruins of the
Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Enjoy.

New Moche tomb discovered

July 7th, 2008 |

Invoking memories of Walter Alva’s spectacular and world renowned discovery of the Señor de Sipán tomb in 1987, another discovery has been made not far away.

Petroglyphs of Checta

March 28th, 2008 |

The rock art at Checta may be as much as 5000 years old, some say more. Carved onto rocks above the Chillon valley in the department of Lima, the petroglyphs hold the yet uninterpreted secrets of some of the most ancient Peruvians.