The Pre-Columbian Huacas of Lima, Peru.
There is only one city of Lima in the world. Also known as La Ciudad de los Reyes. This is a place that extends a millennial in human history. And was the base inspiration for our post Disappearing Historic Lima. It is that, only in the last 80 years, Peru’s capital city has become one of the mega-cities of South America. Crucial at some point, as a port of entry during the Spanish conquest, and early on playing the role of capital of the country. To later on be established as so in 1535. Francisco Pizarro founded the city, and he himself chose it for its many qualities. Among them, its climate and its location. He also gave Lima the title of City of Kings, in honor to the Three Kings Day. Because they found the city on January 6th. of 1535.
Although the coastal plain had a long history of inhabitation before the Spanish. At first glance, or while exploring this city of 11 million people. One encounters a city of seemingly endless congested avenues. Unfaced brick buildings, making a third-world, multi-storied labyrinth to go through. But hidden between apartments and commercial complexes, we find these ruins made of mud-brick walls. The Incas tended these ruins or pyramids. But they didn’t build them. These were constructed before the rise of the pan-Andean empire. And the name for these ruins are “Huacas.”
These Huacas were first constructed by the Lima people, later on by the Curacazgo Maranga, then The Ichma people and the Incas made used of the Huacas. Even though the name Huacas is a denomination for pre-Hispanic buildings. The name itself comprises much more than one simple meaning. Yet, what is important to know is that Huacas are sacred buildings, also known as Apus, and should be treated as such. Lima has over 50 Huacas, with 20 main Huacas remaining. This in part, thanks to the Spanish who ignored these massive ceremonial complexes. These ruins were once combed over by grave robbers, leaving them to decay slowly in the hyper-arid desert. The modern city developed around them some 50 years ago. They had nearly forgotten their origin. To them these were simple mud-hills upon which they could ride their motorcycles for fun.
The Spanish founded Lima along the southern bank of the Rio Rímac. During 1684 and 1687, they built a massive wall to protect the city from pirates. This wall enclosed the Colonial buildings for nearly 200 years, for which today, nearly all traces have vanished. The perimeter of this wall has allowed the city to define what is now the Historic Center of Lima, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage. The coastal plain outside the almost 15 kilometers wall had extensive farming. With olive and orange groves. Built upon the extensive aqueducts and irrigation system that once serviced the Inca. Who inhabited the area of the Huacas.
We find the largest complex of ruins scattered amongst the broad grounds of the national zoo; a place called Parque de las Leyendas. A tour of the zone provides access to see ancient thick adobe walls and mud-brick pyramids. These are part of The Maranga Archeological Complex in which there are 53 Huacas. The complex has two main areas. The first one has a wall surrounding Huaca La Palma and The Inca Palace. And the other extramural area is where we find some other Huacas; Huaca Tres Palos, Huaca San Miguel, Huaca Cruz Blanca, and Huaca La Palma, Huaca La Cruz.
Huaca Tres Palos this Huaca seemed to have a temple and also as an observatory. On one platform they found 96 wells with logs that people think it was used to understand the weather. Traces showed the Lima people used this as a temple, and later the Incas used it as a Tambo. Huaca Cruz Blanca holds that name because some walls found in these ruins had white paint on them. This Huaca seems to have been an important administrative center. Huaca La Palma has two main platforms in which one of them has a wall with drawings of seabirds. Huaca San Miguel as other Huacas has some walls with white paint also other areas had yellow paint. And Huaca La Cruz again was built with adobitos as many other Huacas build by the Lima people.
Huaca San Marcos also known as Huaca Aramburú or Huaca Pando. Located to the north of El Parque de las Leyendas, the city’s zoo. And the university campus, with the same name, surrounded the area. We find this Huaca along Avenida Venezuela. This Huaca was part of Maranga, one of the most important cities of the Lima culture. It is believed it was a ceremonial place, and the biggest Huaca of this culture. The Huaca San Marcos has 5 platforms, some of which have been used to store food. There are also traces of what might have been the entrance to the Huaca. There main material of construction was “adobito” a small mud-brick. There are also traces of fine clay and yellow paint that covered the Huaca as an embellishing touch.
Huaca Potosí on the northern end of the Universidad Catolica del Perú (PUCP), along the street Jose de la Riva Aguero at the cross street of Tulipanes in the San Miguel district. It’s a place of easy access, and there are some people in charge of protecting the area that sometimes work as guides. This Huaca could use more attention give it a proper structure around the Huaca. As often there is more work to be done in the area and studies to comprehend more this Huaca.
Outside the zoo we can find one of the bigger Huacas and recently restored. It’s called Huaca Mateo Salado. They needed the job performed because of deep deterioration. Unfortunately, we can find this Huaca in a rougher part of Lima, south of Rio Rímac, east of the zone, and in front of the large traffic circle called Plaza de la Bandera with the entrance along the Avenida Mariano H. Cornejo. This Huaca belonged to the curacazgo de Maranga. It has 6 buildings, the most impressive one is the main pyramid. You can observe trails and other pyramids. There is still more work to do, but it is good to know that they are working on it. Note: this Huaca is open Wednesday through Sunday only.
Between Huaca Mateo Salado, and Huaca Potosí, we find 2 much smaller ruins; Huaca La Luz alongside street of Jiron Venus. And Huaca Julio Cesar Tello at the T-intersection of Rio Huara and Valencia. Some consider these smaller Huacas part of a bigger complex. Huaca La Luz is important for the textiles found in the area. Some of these textiles were their clothing, while others they used for funeral purposes. Most of them represented the social status of its inhabitants. They made all these textiles of cotton with white, blue and brown as main colors, but they could also use the combination of these. They also found the instruments used into making these textiles. Another piece of importance found in this Huaca is The Ekeko. This figurine is of a man carrying five small jugs or pitchers on his back. Although we knew this figurine as “The man of five jugs” we believe it it represents the famous Ekeko man. Unfortunately, the city has developed a park nearby the Huaca, and this is affecting the ruins. It is time for people to value what they have, especially ruins that date back to 1200 A.D.
Huaca Julio Cesar Tello is also known as Huaca Panteon Chino, and it is part of the Curacazgo Maranga (Ichma people.) At Mariano Cornejo Street in the Pueblo Libre district. Its name says it all. Panteón means a cemetery. Chino is regarding the Chinese People brought to Peru as slaves to work on the nearby plantations. And they got buried there. In 1972 they changed its name to Julio Cesar Tello. This Huaca’s main characteristic are the thick walls on its pyramid and the platforms found in it. Now, this Huaca is fenced up to prevent illegal access.
Foreigner tourists who stay in the upscale areas of Miraflores and San Isidro, overlooking the Costa Verde. May visit the best preserved and restored Huaca Pucllana. Right in the center of the San Isidro district, and just a few blocks, directly East of the Ovalo Gutierrez. For a small fee, this huaca has guided tours that are worth the time. To hear an interpretation of the functional used the area served to the Wari culture. They used millions of hand-molded mud bricks to build this pyramid. Note: the Huaca is closed on Tuesdays for maintenance. The restaurant by the same name right at the Huaca entrance serves some of the best traditional Peruvian food in the city. And the terrace provides fine views of these impressive ruins worth the time and money while in Lima.
Huaca Pucllana is another great complex built by the Lima people for ceremonial rituals and administrative jobs. Some ceramics found show sea animals designs on them. It is believed the Lima culture greatly appreciated the sea. These ruins have been used by many pre-Inca cultures, as it is often the case with these Huacas. One main characteristic of this Huaca is the way they built the pyramids. The technique used by how they lay the “adobitos” is known as “tecnica del librero.” Where the walls were designed by trapezoidal vertical panels, giving the pyramids great balance. It is a design that has endured time and weather. Very impressive indeed. There are some rooms that showed some sort of roof, these were probably used to store food. This Huaca is the best preserved one, with easy access, guided tours, and the best of all, is that the first Sunday of every month museums and archaeological sites have free admission. There is no excuse to not visit this site.
Next, we find two more Huacas in the San Isidro district. The smaller one is Huaca Huallamarca, located along Salamanca street. Here visitors have access to their small park and museum. Then, one can follow a path through a walk up to the ramp-like structure, to get to the top of the Huaca. While at the summit, and off to the west. One faces rows of high apartment buildings. This Huaca Huallamarca is another one in which the Lima people used adobitos for its construction, placed in rows. It has a pyramidal shape with three platforms. This Huaca is open on Tuesday through Sunday, the San Isidro municipality has a web page with more information about this Huaca Huallamarca-San Isidro. Also, nearby at 1.3 km to the SW, is Huaca Santa Cruz, which sits along Avenida Belen. The Incas used these Huacas as a cemetery.
To the west side of the San Isidro district, we find some smaller Huacas. These are found in the southern neighborhood of San Miguel. First, we have Huaca Casa Rosada, between Prolongación Ayacucho and Cuzco. Next, we have Huaca Huatinamarca, which is facing Avenida Brigada Silva de Ochoa, and is surrounded by apartment buildings. They found some ceramic pieces in this Huaca, and some evidence that they could have used some rooms for public gathering. And they used other rooms for food storage. These Huacas could use some attention from the municipality, and the people of San Miguel. Some people think the Huacas should, somehow, fit in their architectural buildings as display objects. When on the contrary, the people surrounded this area are the ones who should value these sites and protect these areas. These Huacas were built by the Lima people, who are long gone. These ruins are priceless and should be treated with respect. Although there is more work to be done, these Huacas give great contribution to the history of Peru, that are worth a visit. Last, we have Huaca Huantille in Magdalena del Mar district in the intersection between Jiron Castilla and Huamanga. This Huaca was considered one of the main ceremonial places used by the Ichma people. Now we have left a smaller Huaca because they demolished most of the ruins through time.
Huaca La Merced along the fifth block of the Calle Principal. At about 10 blocks south of the EW of the avenue Angamos, in the eastern part of Surquillo district. It has many deteriorated walls, and it is little protected. This Huaca was built with bigger mud-bricks forming a pyramid.
Huaca Santa Catalina is in La Victoria, between the streets of Miguel Checa and Jiron Pascual Saco Oliveros, lies on the west side of Parque Boy Scout (true name). It has several raised platforms and a ramp leading up the summit from the east flank. This Huaca is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. they close for one lunch hour between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. This is a place worth the visit.
Huaca San Borja located on the SE corner of the intersection between Avenida Canada and De La Arqueologia streets, in the district of San Borja. It lies a few blocks northeast of the Museo de la Nación. This, a massive, mostly defunct cement building. This Huaca is not open to the public.
Huaca Balconcillo is on the west end of the small Parque Antonio de la Guerra, one block north of Avenida Canada in north La Victoria. This huaca is a little restored, making a near featureless dirt hill. There are no hours available to visit this Huaca, but you can still go see it. People from La Victoria should learn to appreciate what they have and take care of this ruin.
Finally, Huaca Mangomarca lies in easternmost of Lima. At the North of the Rio Rímac, and at the base of the foothills of the Andes, in the San Juan de Lurigancho district. This ruin complex is along Calle Santuario. But we do not recommend it to visit for security reasons. Besides the ruins, they have been abandoned and abused. Some graffiti was shown on these ruins. Also, people have been using it as a garbage disposal area. This is despicable, it only shows the ignorance of some people. They made some promises to restore this site, let’s hope it comes true.
In conclusion: these Huacas are an important heritage left by the Lima people, and the Incas who used these ruins. Now, the more archaeologists can discover, the more invaluable they become. Although some Huacas are more accessible than others. While some are in better condition than others, or some are better maintained by their districts. Or whereas others need more attention, they are worth a visit. Given the Lima traffic and logistics to visit many of these places safely, it is best to go in a group. Have a car waiting for you at each visit and know that it is unlikely you can visit these Huacas in a single day. The best Huacas to see are Huaca Pucllana, Mateo Salado, and those in the zoo The Parque de las Leyendas.
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