Tuesday, July 1st, 2003- Day 133
I caught the bus to Trujillo at 9.00am (well, it left at 9.25pm). It was a VERY cramped bus. I never had so little room on a bus and there was no air-conditioning. It was sticky and uncomfortable and I got very little sleep. I got to town at 7.30am and started walking into town. The bus company “El Dorado” was about 5 large blocks from the town centre. About half way there I stopped a hotel. As the buses to the ruins go from close to hear, I decided to check it out It was a double bed with shower and hot water and nice view for 25 Soles (6.50 EURO). It was good value and booked in.
Trujillo is the capital of La Libertad department, is the third-largest city in Peru and one of only two of commercial importance on the entire north coast. Yet the town, founded in 1534 by Diego Almagro on the orders of Francisco Pizarro, retains the Spanish colonial feel of a much smaller town. The downtown area is an attractive grid with streets lined by elegant, pastel colonial mansions embellished by wrought-iron window grilles.
The importance of this area greatly predates the arrival of the Spaniards, however, and Trujillo is celebrated mostly for a collection of pre-Columbian sites that abound on the outskirts of the city. Looming in the desert are five major archaeological sites, including two of the richest ensembles of Moche temples and ruins of the Chim culture in Peru. Chan Chan, a monumental adobe complex of royal palaces covering more than 52km2 (20 sq. miles), is the primary draw for visitors, but archaeological tours also visit the fascinating Temples of the Moon and Sun (Huacas del Sol y de la Luna), built by the Moche culture around A.D. 500.
Chan Chan – taken from Frommers.
One of the most important archaeological sites in Peru, though in its present state it may not seem as “complete” to the layman observer as some of the Inca stone ruins in the highlands, Chan Chan is an enormous adobe city in the Moche valley, just 5km (3 miles) from Trujillo. The great capital of the Chimu empire, which stretched some 966km (600 miles) along the northern coast of Peru from Lima to the Ecuadorian border, is the largest complex of its kind from pre-Columbian America. The urban Chimu were the chief state in Peru prior to the continental conquest of the Inca Empire. Begun around 1300, it reaches all the way from Huanchaco port to Campana Mountain, an area covering more than 25km2 (9 1/2 sq. miles) of desert floor. First excavated in the mid-1960s, the crumbling mud city was once home to perhaps as many 60,000 inhabitants. In all, the UNESCO Cultural Mankind Heritage Monument comprises more than a dozen citadels and a maze of living quarters, thick defensive walls, ramps, plazas, gardens, workshops, warehouses, narrow streets, a huge reservoir, a royal cemetery, and pyramidal temples. Nine palaces were the personal domains of Chim? chieftains; when one died, he was buried in an elaborate ritual in the palace and a new royal compound was built for his successor. These were almost certainly overflowing with gold and silver riches, and were later ransacked not by the Incas but by the Spaniards and subsequent huaqueros (grave robbers, or treasure hunters). The fragile buildings themselves have fallen victim to erosion caused by recurring El Nino floods; in 1986, Chan Chan was listed on World Heritage Sites in Danger due to both physical erosion and acts of continued pillaging.
The kingdom began around 1000 and reached its apex in the 15th century, before succumbing to the Incas in 1470 and 1471, after more than a decade of resistance. Today, one can only imagine what this massive complex looked like and the sophisticated society that once inhabited it. Unfortunately, there are no written records or documents that aid our understanding of the establishment of the city or reconstruct the daily activities that took place there. Long walls are embellished with friezes of geometric figures, stylized birds and fish, ocean motifs, and mythological creatures–though some might be considered a bit too impeccably restored. There are no doors or arches in the entire complex, and there are no stairs–only ramps.
There are four main sites at Chan Chan, all spread out over a large area that requires either a lot of walking or a couple taxi rides. The principal complex, named the Tschudi Palace for a 19th-century Swiss explorer, has been partially restored, and a walking tour is indicated by painted arrows. The royal palace was home to a noble population of 500 to 1,000. The first area of interest is a ceremonial courtyard decorated with aquatic-themed friezes. The original walls were 18m (60 ft.) high. Just beyond the courtyard are walls with interesting friezes of fish and seabirds. The most fascinating component of the palace is the large area known as the Sanctuary, whose walls are textured like fishing nets. Although Chan Chan contains the ruins of an additional eight royal compounds, none has been restored like Tschudi, and very little can be seen or understood from viewing them.
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Click on the picture to see it in it?´s original size
Chan Chan – Peru (01-07-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in it?´s original size
Chan Chan – Peru (01-07-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in it?´s original size
Chan Chan – Peru (01-07-2003)
The Museo de Sitio de Chan Chan, along the road back toward Trujillo, has a small collection of ceramics from Chan Chan and some exhibits about the nature of the city and its history. The museum is equipped with a new auditorium and models of Chan Chan; an audio and light presentation is given in English as well as Spanish. The museum is at least a 20-minute walk from Tschudi Palace.
Huaca Esmeralda and Huaca Arco Iris are two smaller pyramidal temples that are rather removed from the main palace. They are included in the Chan Chan ticket, but one must go to either the museum or Tschudi Palace first. Huaca Esmeralda is in the Mansiche district, midway between Chan Chan and Trujillo (several blocks behind the church, to the right). The huaca consists of a couple platforms and some friezes that have not yet been restored; though less impressive than others, at least visitors get a clear chance to see original reliefs.
Huaca Arco Iris (the Rainbow Temple, also called Huaca El Dragon), lies in the La Esperanza suburb a couple kilometers from Trujillo, west of the Pan-American Highway. It is in much better condition than Huaca Esmeralda, having only been excavated in the 1960s, and its well-conserved rainbow-shaped friezes are fascinating. Some have interpreted the central motif to be that of a dragon. Outer walls have reliefs of snakes and peculiar lizards. The fairly large structure has several ramps, and visitors can climb to platforms at the top of the temple”.
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Huaca Arco Iris – Peru (01-07-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Huaca Arco Iris – Peru (01-07-2003)
I had a shower after getting to town and was getting a bus to the ruins at 8.45 am into the morning. To get there I caught the Huanchaco bus (1 Sole) on Av. Espana and ask to be let off at the turnoff to Chan Chan. It took 10 minutes and there were taxis waiting here. I decided to walk the mile (15 minutes walk) down a dirt road to the left, to the Tschudi Palace. You pass the Museo de Sitio getting to Chan Chan. I met three people from Sweden there who were hiring a guide. I asked to join them. The fee was five Soles each for the guide and it was 10 Soles (5 if you have a students card) to visit the FOUR sites (excluding the Temples of the Moon and Sun). I enjoyed the tour and it a fasinating site (as you can read above). We spent about one hour there (you can hear and see the Pacific Sea from there). We all walked back to the Museo de Sitio (20 minutes). It was very small and we only spent twenty minutes there. Instead of catching a bus we walked to Huaca Esmeralda which was a good 30 minutes walk on the same road I got the bus this morning. Again it was a small site bus interesting. From there we took a taxi (4 Soles) to Huaca Arco Iris. We could have walked bus its tough as you take back streets. We spent 15 minutes there and the taxi driver waited for us. I explored the city centre for a while. It has many churches and a fine plaza. The weather was good. I went to see the Hulk in the local cinema. I enjoyed the story and style of the film but the CGI effects of the hulk himself was unrealistic. It had emotional depth (the main characters did not) though. I went for dinner after and I walked back to my hotel (15 minute walk). Had a nice hot shower and went to bed.