It is one of the most important archaeological sites on the Peruvian coast. With an extension of more than 465 hectares, it preserves multiple constructions that date from year 1 of the Christian era, until the conquest of Peru, by the Spanish. This means that for nearly 1,500 years this Vatican in ancient Peru maintained its status as a religious sanctuary, respected by all the cultures that succeeded one another in the area. Here we can find evidence of four different cultures: Lima, Wari. Ychma and Inca; being the Ychmas, who carried out most of the constructions that are seen today in the place, highlighting their pyramids with ramps. It has an excellent site museum and a huge number of ancient structures including temples, palaces, pyramids, aqueducts, cemeteries, squares, streets, etc. It was the abode of one of the most feared divinities of ancient Peru known as Pachacamac, whose idol was found in the place and is exhibited in the museum.
The word Pachacamac means "soul of the earth, the one who animates the world". The ancient Peruvians believed that a single movement of his head would cause earthquakes. You couldn't look him directly in the eye, and even his priests entered the room with their backs turned. The cult of Pachacamac was the center of all coastal religion.
The sanctuary is located in the Lurín valley, in whose territory archaeological remains from three thousand years ago have been found. The first occupations date back to the Archaic period (5000 BC).
From 600 to 1100 AD. C. evidence of the Wari empire is concentrated in Pachacamac. The apogee of the Pachacamac oracle occurred precisely during the Middle Horizon - Wari period, when it became a religious center that attracted a large number of pilgrims, reaching its first pan-Andean splendor.
Around 1100 A.D., the Ychma established their center of power in Pachacamac, with a series of residential and administrative settlements that include pyramids with ramps, among others, standing out Tijerales, Quebrada Golondrina, Pacae Redondo and Panquilma, in the Lurín valley. In 1470 the Incas had established in Pachacamac an important provincial capital where buildings such as the Temple of the Sun and the Acllawasi, among others, stood out. To the religious importance of Pachacamac was added its function as one of the main administrative centers of the coast during this period.
After the capture of the Inca Atahuallpa, the Inca authorized his kidnapper, Francisco Pizarro, to go to Pachacamac to collect all the gold and silver from the temples as part of the ransom for his release. Pizarro sent his brother Hernando Pizarro and fourteen horsemen to Pachacamac. Hernando left Cajamarca on January 5, 1533 and returned on April 14, 1533, after desecrating the temple. There are testimonies that the Spaniards took so much gold from the temples of Pachacamac that due to lack of iron their horses used horseshoes and gold nails to return to Cajamarca.
Max Uhle was one of the first to carry out archaeological excavations in Pachacamac. In 1896, he drew up a detailed plan of the site and unearthed the Temple of the Sun. Max Uhle also excavated the cemetery in front of the Painted Temple (or Temple of Pachacamac) as well as the cemetery adjoining the Temple of the Sun where he discovered sacrificial women.
In 1938, Alberto Giesecke discovered the statue nicknamed "The Idol of Pachacamac", while he was directing a cleaning project of the Painted Temple.
In 2003, the "Pachacamac Archaeological Project" began, directed by Izumi Shimada, who excavated in the Plaza de los Peregrinos, definitively demonstrating the ceremonial use of such a site thanks to the recovery of idols, fabrics and ceramics.
Since 2012, a scientific mission from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Italy, led by Nicola Masini, has been conducting a study on the old water channeling system through methods based on geophysics and satellite remote sensing.
Among more than 50 architectural structures on the site, the Peruvian National Institute of Culture identifies the following as the main buildings or sections of the site:
The Temple of the Sun
The Mamacona (or Acllawasi)
The Painted Temple (or Temple of Pachacamac)
Urpi Wachac Temple
The old temple
Pilgrims Square
The Adobe Complex
The pyramid with ramp N°1
The pyramid with ramp N°2
The pyramid with ramp N°3
North-South Street
The Max Uhle Cemetery
The residence of Tauri Chumpi
The house of quipus
The word Pachacamac means "soul of the earth, the one who animates the world". The ancient Peruvians believed that a single movement of his head would cause earthquakes. You couldn't look him directly in the eye, and even his priests entered the room with their backs turned. The cult of Pachacamac was the center of all coastal religion.
The sanctuary is located in the Lurín valley, in whose territory archaeological remains from three thousand years ago have been found. The first occupations date back to the Archaic period (5000 BC).
From 600 to 1100 AD. C. evidence of the Wari empire is concentrated in Pachacamac. The apogee of the Pachacamac oracle occurred precisely during the Middle Horizon - Wari period, when it became a religious center that attracted a large number of pilgrims, reaching its first pan-Andean splendor.
Around 1100 A.D., the Ychma established their center of power in Pachacamac, with a series of residential and administrative settlements that include pyramids with ramps, among others, standing out Tijerales, Quebrada Golondrina, Pacae Redondo and Panquilma, in the Lurín valley. In 1470 the Incas had established in Pachacamac an important provincial capital where buildings such as the Temple of the Sun and the Acllawasi, among others, stood out. To the religious importance of Pachacamac was added its function as one of the main administrative centers of the coast during this period.
After the capture of the Inca Atahuallpa, the Inca authorized his kidnapper, Francisco Pizarro, to go to Pachacamac to collect all the gold and silver from the temples as part of the ransom for his release. Pizarro sent his brother Hernando Pizarro and fourteen horsemen to Pachacamac. Hernando left Cajamarca on January 5, 1533 and returned on April 14, 1533, after desecrating the temple. There are testimonies that the Spaniards took so much gold from the temples of Pachacamac that due to lack of iron their horses used horseshoes and gold nails to return to Cajamarca.
Max Uhle was one of the first to carry out archaeological excavations in Pachacamac. In 1896, he drew up a detailed plan of the site and unearthed the Temple of the Sun. Max Uhle also excavated the cemetery in front of the Painted Temple (or Temple of Pachacamac) as well as the cemetery adjoining the Temple of the Sun where he discovered sacrificial women.
In 1938, Alberto Giesecke discovered the statue nicknamed "The Idol of Pachacamac", while he was directing a cleaning project of the Painted Temple.
In 2003, the "Pachacamac Archaeological Project" began, directed by Izumi Shimada, who excavated in the Plaza de los Peregrinos, definitively demonstrating the ceremonial use of such a site thanks to the recovery of idols, fabrics and ceramics.
Since 2012, a scientific mission from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Italy, led by Nicola Masini, has been conducting a study on the old water channeling system through methods based on geophysics and satellite remote sensing.
Among more than 50 architectural structures on the site, the Peruvian National Institute of Culture identifies the following as the main buildings or sections of the site:
The Temple of the Sun
The Mamacona (or Acllawasi)
The Painted Temple (or Temple of Pachacamac)
Urpi Wachac Temple
The old temple
Pilgrims Square
The Adobe Complex
The pyramid with ramp N°1
The pyramid with ramp N°2
The pyramid with ramp N°3
North-South Street
The Max Uhle Cemetery
The residence of Tauri Chumpi
The house of quipus
