Peru’s Pre-Inca Archeological Sites

Chavin de Huantar - via Wikipedia

Many visitors to Peru head straight to Machu Picchu, never realizing that the country has other great attractions that focus on the Inca Empire, as well as other cultures. In fact, Peru’s pre-Inca archeological sites reveal societies that played an equally important role in pre-Columbian history.

Prior to the Incas, many nations ruled territories throughout Peru. The beliefs and lifestyles of these societies varied, often according to location. While coastal dwellers celebrated creatures from the sea, Andean tribes held sacred the condor and llama. Many of these kingdoms ended as the Inca Empire came to power.

The Incas ruled a large section of western South America, from the mid-fifteenth century to the mid-sixteenth century. Their territory extended from Colombia in the north, to Bolivia in the west and Chile in the south. The Empire met its end when Spanish armies arrived to colonize the continent.

You can explore pre-Inca and Inca archeological sites throughout Peru. While some sites attract millions of tourists each year, others lie in remote locations and see few visitors. Archeologists continue to unearth historical treasures and each new discovery adds another piece to the intricate puzzle of Peru’s fascinating history.

Chavin de Huantar

Chavin de Huantar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was a city constructed by the Chavin nation. Archeologists estimate that many of the artifacts discovered at the site date back as far as 1,200 BC.

Chavin de Huantar lies north of Lima, at 3,180 meters above sea level. The city was constructed along the Maranon River, which lies between Peru’s Amazonas region and coastline. In addition to the Chavin people, other cultures occupied the site over a period of centuries, until 1940.

The Chavin society built the site as a ceremonial center. Archeologists believe it served the regional area and provided a place for Chavin members to gather for worship. However, its location along the river also suggests that the society used the site to collect and store material goods.

The main temple is the centerpiece of Chavin de Huantar. The Chavins built it in a pyramid style with a flat roof and decorated its interior walls with religious carvings and sculptures. It features advanced designs, including labyrinthine passageways, carved cylindrical columns and multiple levels.

Just outside the temple lies a large circular plaza, used for religious and cultural ceremonies. Three temples surround the plaza, which has a perfect circular design and measures about 20 meters in diameter.

Archeologists believe the Chavins experienced a period of turmoil from 500 to 300 BC, leading to the decline of their civilization. The Global Heritage Fund continues to study and preserve the site and its findings are displayed in the Museo Nacional de Chavin and Museo de la Nacion in Lima.

Chan Chan - via Wikipedia

Chan Chan

Chan Chan was the capital city of the Chimu kingdom and lies just outside of Trujillo on the Pacific coast. The Chimus lived in the city from 850 AD to 1470 AD, when the Inca Empire conquered their kingdom.

Chan Chan is the largest archeological site in pre-Columbian America, covering 6 square kilometers of land, and features nine palaces in various locations of the city. During the height of the Chimu kingdom, an estimated 30,000 people lived in Chan Chan.

The site is remarkably well preserved, earning it the distinction of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. However, Chan Chan faces continuous threats from El Nino storms, looters and earthquakes.

The Chimus constructed Chan Chan in an adobe style. They built the city in a triangular layout and erected 50- to 60-foot walls to protect them from enemies. Walls inside the complex formed a labyrinth of passageways, which added additional protection from invading forces.

Adobe bricks used in the construction were hand-carved with intricate designs, many featuring fish, mammals and birds. Other designs included creatures from the sea, such as turtles and crabs, along with illustrations of nets used to capture mythical sea monsters.

Chan Chan has an intricate irrigation system. In an effort to increase their farmland, the Chimus dug canals connecting the waters of the Moche River to the city. Prior to construction of the canals, the kingdom relied on wells dug inside the city walls.

Nazca Lines - via Wikipedia

Nazca Lines

Archeologists believe the Nazca Lines of Southern Peru were created by the Nazca society between 400 and 650 AD. A Peruvian archeologist named Toribio Mejia Xesspe discovered the site in the 1920s and UNESCO declared the Nazca Lines a World Heritage Site in the mid-1990s.

The Nazca Lines consist of hundreds of geoglyphs etched into the plateau of the Nazca Desert. The figures resemble humans and animals, including monkeys, hummingbirds, llamas, spiders, orcas, lizards and sharks.

The task of creating the drawings was actually quite simple, accomplished by removing red pebbles from the desert floor, which revealed the lighter colored soil beneath. The resulting trenches descend to a depth of about four inches.

Some archeologists believe the figures represent ritualistic symbols relating to important aspects of live, such as fertility and rain. Others speculate that the Nazcas used the lines in astrological calendars or for irrigation.

The lines remain remarkably well preserved, due in part to their remote location. Another reason for their pristine condition lies in the climate of the desert. While the environment is quite arid, morning mist hardens the soil, which contains high levels of lime, creating a hard protective surface.

Sillustani

Sillustani, a pre-Inca cemetery, lies in Southern Peru near the city of Puno. The Colla and Aymara nations created the site, which dates back to between 100 and 200 AD. The Incas also used the burial ground after they conquered the region in the fifteenth century.

Sillustani- via Wikipedia

The tombs at Sillustani are called “chulpas”, above ground cylindrical structures that stand up to 10 meter tall. The Aymara and Colla people made their chulpas by stacking rectangular fieldstones. Inca chulpas were more refined, fashioned with hand carved stones that perfectly interlocked with one another, creating a round and smooth surface.

Tribes buried only their most important members at Sillustani, interring entire families in a single tomb. Each chulpa had a single door, facing east, which represented the belief that the sun brings rebirth.

The dead were placed in the tombs with their jewelry, often fashioned from pure gold. During that time, jewels represented the status of a person, but didn’t have monetary value.

Because of the immense treasure the chulpas once held, they’ve been targets of grave robbers over the centuries. Thieves used dynamite to blow open the tombs, destroying their perfect cylindrical style and forever changing the face of Sillustani.

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