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Chicama Valley
Between Trujillo and Chiclayo – Peru’s financial centre – there are many temples and archeological remains, including some of the best ancient sites in Peru. One not to miss is the Complejo Archeológico El Brujo, nestled among the sugar cane plantations that hug the coast.
The complex is made up of Mochica-built adobe temples and gained famed after the on-site discovery of a tattooed mummy in 2006, known as the Señora de Cao. Clearly an important shamanic leader, the 1,500-year-old señora has intricate depictions of spiders, fish and snakes inked into her hands and arms. The complex is named after her – “El Brujo” means “The Wizard”.
You can see her for yourself at the on-site museum, which also houses the multiple pieces of gold and silver jewellery inlaid with precious stones that were found alongside her body.
Chiclayo
This city is Peru’s bustling financial centre, so it’s perhaps fitting that just a short distance outside the city you’ll find a huge haul of buried pre-Colombian treasure. To find it, make a beeline for the Museo Nacional Tumbas Reales de Sipán.
The gold and silver found at the Temple of Sipán is housed here – one of the richest tombs ever discovered in the Americas. The most important grave site discovered was that of El Señor de Sipán (the Lord of Sipan), buried with many precious decorative objects inlaid with precious stones and shells, including his main emblem, a decorative staff. The tomb itself is recreated inside the museum, and is sure to give you an Indiana Jones-like thrill.
