Peru: Pachacamac

The temporary closure of Peru's greatest wonder will mar many an itinerary. But traces of Peru's Inca and pre-Inca heritage can be found throughout the country. As the Pan-American highway heads south out of Lima, a small hill becomes visible to its left-hand side, rising out of the sandy rock that begins to dominate the landscape as the shanty towns of the capital thin out. Unremarkable from a distance, this was once the most breathtaking landmark on the Peruvian coast – an object of an important pilgrimage for many centuries, and now an important archaeological site.
This was a sacred city dedicated to Pachacamac. That might sound like a proprietary make of wet-weather gear for Peru's rainy season, but in fact Pachacamac was a powerful god who could predict the future. Pilgrims came from all over the Andean region to ask for advice.

The site was occupied for some 1,500 years by a succession of tribes, including the Wari, the Ychsma and, finally, the Incas. All left their mark on the place, building ever more elaborate temples to supersede those of their predecessors.

Until the buildings of the modern capital began to encroach, this was a remote, inaccessible place; for the modern visitor, it is the cliff-top location, overlooking the ocean, that impresses. Geography has always been important here: as well as being a strategic coastal site, Pachacamac is located in the valley of the Lurin River. This position helped to ensure food, in the form of fish and farm produce, for the gods. But for the pilgrims who had made the long, often arduous journey through mountains and valleys, it was not the natural landscape but the temples that would have made the strongest impression.

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