The Other Peru-ins

These designs and colors are 2000 years old!

When most people think of Peru's ruins, Macchu Pichu comes to mind. The Incan city in the Andes is certainly spectacular and is one of the top tourist destinations in the world.  Few people (including us) know about Peru's other ruins, the pre-Incan Moche and Chimu temples.  We went to three pre-Incan sites while we were in Peru this week, and were astonished at our ignorance of Moche/Chimu culture and the majesty of these sites.  For more information on the Moche and Chimu, CLICK HERE.  Located in the deserts of Northern Peru, these remarkably well-preserved sites are very impressive.

The landscape is barren and nearly rain-free

An active archaelogical site over the last 15 years

They keep digging down
and finding new murals

Massive site, see tiny Shelly in red

A costumed Moche descendant
at the archaeological site

Real colors and depictions from 2000 years ago

Depictions of persons bound together on a rope

World heritage site near Trujillo, Peru

Rehab on this site is a recreation of the old designs

Designs at Chan Chan World Heritage site

Chan Chan is an active archaeological site

The dryness of the site adds to the excellent preservation