Trujillo

Trujillo itself wasn't that impressive (although it played a vital role in the fight for Peruvian independence), but we came here to visit two cool archaeological sites.

The Moche culture (100-800AD) was very sophisticated and strongly associated with religion. Their principal city was established at the foot of the impressive Cerro Blanco. The city was dominated by two imposing mud brick structures: the residence of the Moche rulers (Huaca del Sol) and the great temple (Huaca de la Luna), where human sacrifices were made after ritual combats.

The Chimú people (800-1470AD) were the descendants of the Moche, from whom they inherited the ability to build large edifices with mud. Chan Chan was the main city of the Chimú and home to an estimated 60 000 people, making it one of the largest mud cities of the ancient world. The Inca Tupa Yupanqui conquered the Chimú around 1470, after which many of Chan Chan's craftsmen were brought to Cuzco.Read more