Peru Guide
The North
Lambayeque
The old colonial town of LAMBAYEQUE, just 12kms from Chiclayo city, must have been a grand place before it fell into decay last century; fortunately, it seems on the road to recovery, helped by its popular museums and vibrant Sunday markets. The early eighteenth-century lglesia de San Pedro, parallel to the main square between Dos de Mayo and 8 de Octubre, is the most impressive edifice in the town. But the dusty streets of Lambayeque are better known for their handful of colonial casonas, such as La Casa Cúneo (8 de Octubre 328), and a few doors down La Casa Descalzi, which has a fine algarrobo doorway in typical Lambayeque Baroque style. La Casa de la Logia Masónica (Masonic Lodge), at the corner of calles Dos de Mayo and San Martín, is also worth checking out for its superb balcony, which has lasted for about four hundred years and, at 67m, is thought to be the longest in Peru.
Lambayeque's main draw, however, are its two fantastic museums. The oldest, though quite new itself, is the modern Museo Arqueológico Nacional Brüning on block 7 of Avenida Huamachuco (daily 9am–5pm; $3; 
074/282110). Named after its founder Hans Heinrich Brüning, an expert in the Mochica language and culture, the museum possesses superb collections of early ceramics, much of which has only recently resurfaced and been put on display. The museum has actually only just reopened, bringing from its vaults some of the fine ceramics found over the last hundred years or so in the region, and having lost its most recent main collection to Lambayeque's new jewel, the Museo de las Tumbas Reales de Sipán or Museum of the Royal Tombs of Sipán (Tues– Sun 9am–5pm; $3; 074/283978). This museum is an imposing concrete construction in the form of a semi-sunken or truncated pyramid, reflecting the form and style of the treasures it holds inside. This mix of modernity and indigenous pre-Columbian influence is a fantastic starting point for exploring the archaeology of the valley. You'll need a good hour or two to see and experience all the exhibits, which include a large collection of gold, silver and copper objects from the tomb of El Señor de Sipán. The tomb itself is also reproduced as one of the museum's centrepieces down on the bottom of the three floors. The top floor mainly exhibits ceramics, while the second floor is dedicated to El Señor de Sipán's ornaments and treasures.
On a rather more prosaic note, Lambayeque is also known for its sweet pastry cakes – filled with manjar blanca (a condensed milk product, very popular in Peru) and touted under the unlikely name of King-Kongs. In any of the town's streets, you'll be bombarded by street vendors pushing out piles of the cake, shouting "King-Kong! King-Kong!" For a really good meal, however, visit El Cantaro at lunchtime; located at C Dos de Mayo 180 ( 074/282196) and known by most taxi drivers, it is one of the most traditional restaurants in the region, serving ceviche, duck, goat and other local specialities. For accommodation, the Hostal Brüning, Av S Bolívar 578 ( 074/283549; Price: $10-15), is fine, with private baths and comfortable rooms. To get to Lambayeque take the short colectivo ride north from the street Pedro Ruiz close to the main Chiclayo market areas.