A bit of rest on the surfer beach was good. In the morning of our departure we visit Chan Chan, the ancient capital of the Chimú, who replaced the Moche and fell victim to the Incas themselves. The ruins of the old city cover a vast area between Trujillo and Huanchaco. It is a pity that the government has hardly any money for researching and developing the excavations. This applies to here as well as to the Huaca de la Luna and the Huaca del Sol.

There is a small museum where you can see models of the city as well as jewelry and ceramics from the Chimú. Some tour guides offer their services and promise us a day full of historical highlights.

I would be very interested in this information, Sara not really, but since Leon will be sleeping soon it is clear that we can only visit the museum and the excavations in fast forward. We dismiss the guides and leave them with the impression that we are barbarians.

Day 9 Without a Breakdown

(except a tiny crash)

The large area of ruins has a far entrance and we have to drive two kilometers by car until we reach the restored area of Chan Chan.

In the distance we see outlines of ancient pyramids in the morning haze near the ocean. Walls show the outlines of old buildings. Time has preserved the city of clay well, thanks to the fact that it rarely rains here.

Restored walls show decorations with motifs of animals that apparently lived here at the time and still characterize the area, such as pelicans, fish and whales. Human sacrifices were apparently also very popular with the Chimú.

I wish I had more information, but I don’t have internet either. We do a quick loop through the walk-in area, then we put the snoring Leon in his car seat and continue north on the Panamericana, encountering a lot of trash.