Trujillo – ruins of Chan Chan and New Years

Huaca Arco Iris

After the bus through the desert all day, I was concerned by what I was going to find in Trujillo. In Trujillo, I found a surprisingly nice town. The city was laid out fairly well with decent infrastructure. People were out in the evening (a sign of reasonable security). I stayed near the Plaza de las Armas, the historic center. I felt comfortable the entire time I was in Trujillo.

The Plaza de Armas in Trujillo During the Christmas Season

The only thing I knew about Trujillo is that they had a UNESCO heritage site Chan Chan; ruins of a pre-Incan civilization. Also another surfing beach, Huanchaco, was nearby. So these were my only two certain goals for my time in Trujillo. On my way to breakfast, the tourist office in the hotel told me they had a tour going to Huacas del Sol y Luna (Temple of the Sun and Moon), Museo del Moche, Huaca Arco Iris, Chan Chan and a short visit to Huanchaco; all for US$7 since they already had 5 others going.

Huacas del Sol y Luna and the Museo del Moche were situated together on the south east side of Trujillo. Huacas del Sol y Luna were built by the Moche, a pre-Incan civilization that lasted from approximately 100 AD to 700 AD. The Huacas were temples made of adobe (bricks made of a mix of mud, sand, and shells). They were built over a period of several hundred years. They started with one level and over time built up five levels. They had carved scenes which depicted a religion of ritualistic sacrifice. The theory is that warriors would battle each other. The losing warrior would not be killed, but would be given a drug of mescaline made from a local cactus. The shaman would then drain the blood of the losing warrior while they were still living and present the blood as offerings to their gods.

These mud bricks have lasted more than 1000 years.

Ritualistic chamber where the sacrafices took place

Sheltered excavation underway

Original ink

Looking towards Huaca del Sol. Between the Huacas lay a city

Plaza at Huaca de la Luna, probably where winners and losers of battles were presented.

Huaca Arco Iris was an early Chimu temple most likely built around 800 A.D. It is named for the unique drawings found in the temple. There is some original as well as restored ruins here.

Huaca Arco Iris named for these drawings

Chan Chan is an expansive area of ruins covering located on the northwest side of Trujillo. It was the largest pre-Colombian city in South America. It is located close to the ocean as you can hear the surf from the archeological grounds.  Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu civilization which lasted from 850 AD to 1470 AD. The Chimu were post Moche and pre Inca. The Incas conquered Chan Chan after an eight year siege to mark the end of the Chimu.

Main plaza area in Chan Chan - used for public events

Entrance to main plaza area

Living quarters

Living quarters

One of the many irrigation pools in Chan Chan. Water has recently returned due to irrigation projects

Burial chamber. This leader was buried with 40 of his concubines

Huanchaco is a surfing beach near Trujillo. We had a short visit as part of the tour. It looked like a nice beach. The waves looked pretty good, but the water was cold. I noticed that all the surfers were out in wet suits. Surfing in a wetsuit does not look fun to me.

Huanchaco Beach

Monster Pelicans

For New Year celebration, I met up with a group of couch surfers; a group from Spain, Germany, Sweden and Peru. We had dinner and then at midnight fireworks. Fireworks are different here than they are in the U.S. In the U.S., there are big fireworks displays set off by cities. In Peru, it’s a free for all. The neighborhood literally looked like a war zone. I wondered how many homes burnt from the mayhem.

We then went to Huanchaco, which looked to be an all-night party. I enjoyed my time there, but left at a reasonable hour as I was planning to leave for the Cordillera Blanca (the White Mountains) the next day.