The Extraordinary Ruins of Puruchuco
Puruchuco is one of the Lima area's many impressive archeological sites. It's worth spending the time to organize a visit to this 800-year-old palace and famous burial site while staying at Pariwana Hostel Lima. You can either get there by bus or book a taxi.
Fellow-backpackers may want to make the trip with you, and the expert staff will give you all the details you need.
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The site is about 10 kilometers from central Lima, on a hill in the Ate district, close to km 4.5 of the Carretera Central. Guided tours in both Spanish and English can be booked in advance, or you can look around independently for a charge of 5 soles for adults or 2 soles for students.
The word “Puruchuco' means a hat with feathers. The site was once a major ceremonial center, originally in use before the Inca period. The building was created from adobe and it seems that the Incas rebuilt it to suit their uses. One of the most fascinating aspects of this site is that it was once a huge cemetery, and thousands of mummies were discovered there, which are now being studied. There is a museum to visit containing artifacts found on the site, including tools and items made from gold as well as ceramic vases. You can also see a model of how the palace once looked, and a reconstruction of the burial methods which were used here many centuries ago.
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