S a nctua ry of

Lima, Peru
Silvana Zamora
 ALA MASTER Sanctuary of PACHACAMAC

This is a place with a

very special landscape,
from which you can
contemplate the arid
desert bordering the
greenery of the low
valley, as well as to the
east and south the river
that runs to its mouth in
the sea, while to the
south and west
dominate the wetlands
that precede the
beaches and the sea
horizon, from which the
following emerges.
(Canziani, 273)
 ALA MASTER Sanctuary of PACHACAMAC

 Sisicaya

 STREAM
MOLLE
Piedra Liza SUSICATA

F or more than 1,200 years,

during the pre-Hispanic period,
 Chontay

Pachacamac was the most During the 15th century, the Río Seco
important sanctuary on the Incas unified and built it as part Molle

peruvian coast. Its temples were

 of a great political, military,
visited by crowds of pilgrims on ideological and administrative STREAM
project known as Tawantinsu- GUATCAN
the occasion of the great Quebrada Talada
yu. Panquilma
Andean rituals, because Pacha-
camac was an accurate oracle CIENEGUILLA
capable of predicting the future Pampa Cabrera

and controlling the movements STREAM

STREAM
of the earth. LLANCHAY Manchay Alto TINAJAS
Tambo Inga
This grandness could be achie-
ved because it was conected by Manchay Bajo
Qhapac Ñan; a road system Rumihuasi

built by pre-hispanic cultures

Pica Piedra
that conected important popu- Pampa de las Flores

lation centers throughout South

America.
Quebrada verde
Mina Perdida
Addicionally, the location of the
temples also demonstrates a 
mastery of the landscape accor-
Tablada de Lurín
ding to the Andean perspecti-
ve:height to control the edge of

the valley, visuals to the sea, It is located a few meters from PACHACAMAC
orientation of the temples, the Pacific Ocean in a ravine of
agriculture management. the Lurin river valley.
LURÍN
N
“They were, then, places whose 0 1 2 5Km
extraordinary characteristics
revealed the divine presence; Urban settlement Archaeological Site Valley Pacific Ocean Lurin River
places whose splendor, strength
and beauty manifested, through
a certain narrative, the presence
of gods and mythical heroes. 
Apparently, this special condi-  150masl
The second most important exchange resources
tion preceded the raising of
valley of Lima, capital of Peru.In
sacred architecture; and it, there are more than 200 100masl
architecture, as a way of conse- archaeological sites from
crating the place, summoned different periods. 50masl
exchange agricultura resources
the aforementioned presence”
00masl
(Canziani, 150).
0km 5km 10km 15km 20km 25km
 ALA MASTER Sanctuary of PACHACAMAC



SECTOR 3

T he importance of this
sanctuary is evident in the
way it has been occupied Temple of The Sun

by pre-Hispanic cultures
over time. Its constructions
are the product of successi-
ve occupations, some
structures were built
gradually, so they have
Temple of The Sun
different construction SECTOR 2
phases and acquired
different dimensions and
shapes over time. For this
reason, in each period the
site must have been
architecturally different,
and today we can only Reconstruction temple
appreciate the configura-
tion achieved after its 1200 SECTOR 1
years of history.The monu-
mental zone is divided by
walls that delimit three
sectors with different
characteristics: Sector I is Reconstruction Piramid V
located in the highest part
and presents an irregular
topography. The entrance
of the north-south street is
located at the northern end
of Sector II, at the culmina- Old Temple
ting point of two roads, the
Qhapaq Ñan. Finally, Acllawasi
Sector III is the largest and Temple of Sun
is subdivided into two areas Taurichumpi
along Lima Avenue. The “Adobitos” Pachacamac Temple Ramp Piramids Building 47
Temple of Urpiwachaq Uhle Cementery Plaza de los Peregrinos
The Panel Old Temple House of Quipus

    
  
EARLY HORIZON EARLY INTERMEDIATE MEDIUM HORIZON INT HORIZON LATE HORIZON
 ALA MASTER Sanctuary of PACHACAMAC



 


A fter the abandonment of

the sanctuary due to the
conquest process, Pachacamac
was rediscovered in 1903 by the Ramp temple
archaeologist Uhle.This event
marked the beginning of the
Peruvian state's efforts to
enhance the value of its herita-
ge.

Nevertheless,Lima,as many
cities in South America, suffers
from a lack of urban planning. New Pachacamac Museum
As a consequence, many illegal
settlements are located in
protected areas such as
archaeological sites due to the
lack of protection from the state


and the opportunity for "free
spaces". In this context, a large
area of the Lurin River Valley
landscape has been lost over
the years.
Since 2010, preventive archaeo-
logy projects have been carried
out to contain this problem;
most of them focused on the
education of the population;
which includes, a competition
for the construction of the
Pachacamac museum and
another competition for the
design of the Pachacamac park.
 

1903
At the end of the 19th
century found that in the
lower levels of the stratigra-
phic sequence that
Adobitos
culminated with the Inca
occupation, there were
early cultural materials that
preceded them, including
structures with the typical
small Lima adobes. (Canzia-
ni, 272)
 
 
1943 1965 1980 2015
Subsequently, the work of Firs Pachacamac Museum First research project on the Pachacamac Museum
Strong and Corbett Inauguration archaeological site. Re-Inauguration
Ministry of Culture + Universi- Llosa - Cortegana
corroborated this informa-
tion, when developing ties (PUCP).
excavations that intervene
the base of the Temple of
the Sun on the east flank,
confirming the presence of
structures built with small
adobe bricks and cultural
associations that
correspond to this of the
Temple of the Sun on the
east flank, confirming the
presence of structures built
with small adobe bricks and
cultural associations that
correspond to the period in
question and to which the
Inca construction was
superimposed late. (Canzia-
ni, 272)