Temples, Ancient Cities & Museums of Trujillo

Known as the “City of Eternal Spring,” Trujillo has Peru’s most impressive collection of colonial homes. Local sugarcane farms once created massive amounts of wealth for families in this area, and the money went towards building opulent mansions and lovely churches. You’ll be guided through the streets of Trujillo and marvel at Baroque houses and churches with showy interiors. Many buildings are well preserved.

The tour then stops by the University of Trujillo’s Museum of Archeology and History. This museum focuses on the pre-Columbian cultures of this region and traces Peruvian history from 12,000 B.C. all the way to the arrival of the Spanish. There are a number of artifacts from the Huaca de la Luna here.

Next up is the Sun and Moon Huacas, also known as Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna. These two temples were built during the Moche empire (A.D. 100–800) and rise from the desert just south of Trujillo. The temples are made from adobe and were originally used as a religious complex and administrative center. They were built slowly, over 700 or so years, in a series of platforms. When a ruler died, the Moche would cover their body with another platform and the pyramid would grow taller. While here you’ll also visit the Huacas de Moche Museum, which has a number of artifacts, ceramics, and tombs on display. It’s a great place to learn more about Moche culture.

Finally, this tour will visit Chan Chan. The archeological complex at Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian adobe city in America; it was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. Chan Chan was once an elaborate city that acted as the capital of the Chimú empire—it had courtyards, terraces, palaces, and gardens, and is thought to have housed around 30,000–60,000 people.