TRUJILLO AND THE NORTH COAST

The Huaca de la Luna is a ten-story adobe pyramid that rises above the arid countryside and colonial mansions of old Trujillo. Archaeologists continue to unearth the bright murals that once decorated the pyramid, which was built over seven centuries by the Moche culture. The long line of Moche rulers included the Lords of Sipán, whose tombs were unearthed in 1987 near Chiclayo. The gold masks, huge earrings inlaid with turquoise, scepters, and other items from the tombs are on display at Chiclayo’s new museum, Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán. The cultures that followed the Moche also left a string of impressive cities on the north coast. Chan Chan, near Trujillo, is a 5,000-acre complex of adobe walls and esplanades that has been partially restored. The Sicán culture built the huge stepped platforms at Túcume and Batán Grande near Chiclayo, where precious objects recovered from their tombs are on display at the Museo Sicán.

Trujillo

Old Trujillo: After a tour of Trujillo’s Spanish homes and churches, there is no better way to soak in colonial elegance than having a drink on the Plaza de Armas at the bar of the stately Hotel Libertador. (read more)

Museo Cassinelli: The best collection of ceramics in Peru, including a range of erotic Moche pieces, are housed in this odd but worthwhile museum in the basement of a Mobil gas station in Trujillo. (read more)

Huaca de la Luna: This 10-story adobe pyramid is an impressive monument to the Moche culture with recently uncovered murals of Ai-Aepek, the decapitator god, and commanding views of Trujillo and the surrounding valley. (read more)

Chiclayo

Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán: This recently opened museum outside of Chiclayo is dedicated to the dazzling objects found in 1987 inside of a series of royal Moche tombs, which recall the splendor of King Tut’s tombs in Egypt. (read more)

Museo Sicán: Chiclayo’s other must-see, modern museum contains an elaborate reconstruction of a royal Sicán tomb excavated in 1991, which contained 20 sacrificed women, two huge golden arms, and nearly a ton of metal objects. (read more)

Máncora, Las Pocitas and Vichayito

Máncora: What was once a small fishing town has become a surfing mecca, with a stunning coastline that attracts waveriders from around the world. (read more)