Huaca Pucllana and Lima City Tour

DAY 7 - After a good night’s rest, and breakfast at the hotel Los Girasoles, I walked to Huaca Pucllana which is one of the most important ancient monuments in Lima. Huaca means “sacred place”, Pucllana means “game”. This archaeological site was recently discovered and is still under excavation so more discoveries may take place in the future. The entrance ticket cost 12 soles (US$4). Visitors must follow a guided tour along carefully roped walkways.

The complex consists of a museum, the archaeological site, a small park dedicated to local flora and fauna, a restaurant and a souvenir shop. The two-hour, informative tour included a brief introduction in the museum, a walk through various parts of the archaeological site, and a visit to the small park.

Vessels in Huaca Pucllana museum, Lima, Peru

Huaca Pucllana is believed to be built around 500 AD as an important ceremonial and administrative centre for the Lima Culture. The ceremonial sector contained a pyramid made of adobe bricks, 500 metres long, more than 100 metres wide, and 22 metres high, on seven staggered platforms. There must be millions of bricks that make up the site. Very interesting history and architecture!

Here are some pictures of Huaca Pucllana. Click to enlarge them.

Map of La Huaca Pucllana

Adobe bricks at Huaca Pucllana

Layers of bricks, Huaca Pucllana

Huaca Pucllana, Lima

Llama in Huaca Pucllana park

Leaving Huaca Pucllana, I walked back to my hotel for lunch. Around 2:30 PM, LimaVision shuttle came to pick me up for the Lima City Tour. The tour took about four hours. There were 10-12 other tourists on my tour. We started with a panoramic view of the Huaca Pucllana, visited the Central Reserve Bank of Peru Museum, walked through the Main Square, seeing the Cathedral, Government Palace, Municipal Palace, the Monastery of San Francisco and its Catacombs, and ended by Lovers’ Park by the Pacific Ocean before getting dropped off at our hotels. Traffic in Lima was bad and the sights are not close together so having a local person to do the driving was a time saver.

Here are some pictures of Lima Centre. Click to enlarge them.

A "famous" hotel in Lima

Teatro Colon, Lima

Gold object in the Central Reserve Bank of Peru Museum

Cathedral in Lima Main Square

Municipal Palace, Lima

Government Palace, Lima

Fountain in Lima Main Square

Monastery of San Francisco, Lima

My flight from Lima to Toronto was scheduled for 1 AM so I had dinner at the hotel then waited for my taxi pick-up. The taxi driver came on time. As we headed towards Lima airport, he signalled for me to put my backpack onto the floor in the car, in case someone smashes the window at an intersection. I haven’t had any incident for my week in Peru and would like to keep it that way so I followed his instruction.

My flight home was alright.  This concluded my trip to Peru with fond memories of the Inca ruins in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and especially Machu Picchu!