Travel to Peru: North Coast Archaeology of Peru

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North Coast Archaeology of Peru

			DAYS: 4 GRADE: I define HIGHLIGHTS: Cusco Urubamba Valley Machu Picchu and Tambopata rainforest reserve ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] SEASON: Year-round Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

Northern Peru hosts a unique cultural history. According to legend, "Naymlap", the father and founder of the regional clan, arrived from the ocean on reed boats accompanied by men and several princesses. These explorers became the descendants of the northern pre-Inca groups of Moche, Chimu and Lambayeque cultures. They were highly organized and accomplished an astonishing level technological development in their agricultural practices, ceramic making, military performance and use of gold, silver, copper, and precious stones. One authentic descendant of Naymlap was the Lord of Sipan who remained buried for 700 years before Peruvian archeologists discovered the sacred tomb in 1987. The Lord of Sipan is for Peru what Tutankamon was for the Egyptians. The importance of the Lord of Sipan in the context of his time is evident by the number of people who were apparently buried with him upon his death and the amount of artifacts and clothes found in his tomb. The Chimu culture believed that people undertook another life after death.

The discovery of the tomb of the Lord of Sipan was thoroughly documented in the October 1988 issue of the National Geographic Magazine. The entire region is dotted with archeological sites that include The Valley of the 26 Pyramids in Tucume, the Frieze Covered Temples of the Sun and the Moon, Batan Grande, and the majestic ruins of Chan-Chan in Trujillo. Much of the gold and silver, artifacts, ceramics and weavings made by the Chimu, Moche and Lambayeque people are housed in local museums, and the grandest museum in South America is the new, pyramid-shaped Tumbes Reales Sipan Museum. In modern Chiclayo, the arts of ceramic-making and straw weaving prevail today. Unique throughout Peru are the "Peruvian Paso Fino Horses" bred to work the sandy soil that predominates in the region. On this excursion we discover unfolding secrets of the little known pre-Inca cultures of Northern Peru and explore the unique desert environment and native Peruvian people who inhabit the region today. Actual sites visited depend on the hour of your arrival and departure, and your interests since this is a private excursion with specialized local guides who help create each day to your preferences.

DAY 1 :  CHICLAYO
Transfer to airport for flight to Chiclayo. Airport reception and transfer to hotel. In the afternoon, visit the local market where pottery and weaving is sold, in addition to a wide array of herbal remedies and ritual paraphernalia used by traditional shamans throughout Peru. Overnight at Hotel Gran Chiclayo. [B]

Note: Depending on arrival time, there may be opportunities to visit the Bruning Museum or other nearby archaeological sites. All daily excursions on the North Coast Cultures extension include expert private bilingual guide and driver.

DAY 2 :  TUCUME - LORD OF SIPAN
Drive 40 minutes to the Valley of the Pyramids in Tucume, an important archaeological complex of 26 pyramids demonstrating the impressive engineering skills and social organization of the Lambayeque culture (BC 1,000-1,350 AD). After a casual regional lunch, we visit the impressive necropolis of Huaca Rajada, a Moche funeral center where a great number of tombs have been discovered including the Old Lord of Sipan (3rd Century) and the Lord of Sipan (5th Century). Considered the most important archaeological discovery in recent times for their dazzling objects in gold and semi-precious stones, they were unearthed by Peruvian archaeologists led by Dr. Walter Alva between 1987-1988. After visiting the field site, you will be impressed by the glittering exhibition of relics housed in the new, pyramid-shaped Tumbes Reales Museum (Sipan Museum), among the most spectacular modern museums in South America. Overnight at Hotel Gran Chiclayo. [BL]

DAY 3 :  TRUJILLO - EL BRUJO - SOL Y LUNA PYRAMIDS
On the way to Trujillo (3 hours, 260 km), depending on your interests you can visit any number of possible sites including an impressive presentation of Peruvian Paso Fino horses. Your guide will look out for opportunities to visit a working excavation with on-site archeologists such as Huaca Cao Viejo. Recently opened to the public, this Middle Moche adobe pyramid, or huaca, has been the location of intensive archaeological investigations throughout the last decade after Peruvian archaeologists began uncovering ceremonial plazas and chambers. It is one of the ancient ceremonial temples that make up the archaeological complex known as El Brujo (the Wizard or Sorcerer). The Temples of the Moon and the Sun are the largest pre-Columbian structures in South America. Here archaeologists have uncovered walls decorated with small high-relief iconographic designs depicting scenes of fishing and navigation, human figures related to the cosmic world, mythical animals, shamans, warriors, and human sacrifice depicting Moche life. Overnight at Hotel Libertador. [BL]

DAY 4 :  CHAN CHAN - HUANCHACO
We walk through the amazing ancient city of Chan Chan, the ancient capital city of the Kingdom of Chimor noted for its magnificent adobe walls with intricate designs. At its peak in the 15th century, Chan Chan was the largest adobe city in the world. It was a major source of gold for both Inca and Spanish invaders. Although looted over the centuries, remnants still occasionally appear in the drifting sands, and collections of gold artifacts can be viewed in museums. We also visit the Huaca Dragon, a restored, pyramidal, adobe temple consecrated to the rainbow, with beautiful base reliefs and a small archaeological museum.

Enjoy a delicious seafood lunch in the scenic fishing village of Huanchaco where you watch in amazement as fisherman still use reed boats to plough through the roaring Pacific Ocean surf. Depictions of these caballitos de totora, can be found on 3000 year-old pottery. In the afternoon, your guide will show you the lovely and friendly city of Trujillo with its large colonial houses and churches, and the Cassinelli Museum with its beautiful collection of Chavin, Mochica and Chimu ceramics, metals and fabrics. Transfer to the airport for late afternoon flight back to Lima in time for international departures this evening. [BL]

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

. C o n t a c t Breanne Stovall 1(800)345-4453