Huaca Huallamarca (Pan de Azucar)

The Basics

Before exploring the restored complex, visit the on-site museum, which displays items excavated from the site including pots from the Lima and Nievería, funerary masks, musical instruments, weaving equipment, and mummies. An exhibition is dedicated to Peruvian archaeologist Arturo Jimenez Borja, credited with saving the site from destruction but controversial for the changes he introduced.

Many private and small-group half-day tours that stop at Huaca Huallamarca include Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Columbian site in Miraflores, and the Larco Museum, with an extensive collection of pre-Columbian artifacts. Other tours journey through the downtown area (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and take in sweeping views of the city from the tower at the Convent of Santo Domingo, followed by a three-course Peruvian fusion meal.

Things to Know Before You Go

• There is a small entrance fee to Huaca Huallamarca, included on larger tours.

• Remember to bring sun protection and water for hydration, as the site is outside.

• Due to uneven brick walkways and a short climb to the top, this site is not wheelchair accessible.

• English-speaking guides are available on-site.

How to Get There

Huaca Huallamarca is at the corner of Nicolás de Ribera and Avenida El Rosario in the center of Lima’s San Isidro financial district, easily accessible by taxi as well as by bus. Lines 1701, 201, and 209 stop nearby.

When to Get There

Huaca Huallamarca is open year-round, Tuesday through Sunday, 9am–5pm. Go in the early morning to beat the crowds. In general, the best time to visit Lima is wintertime (May–September), when there is the least amount of rain, especially important if planning a trip to Cusco or trek to Machu Picchu. The summer months (December–March) are warmer, but wetter, and in Lima especially, quite foggy.

Who Were the Lima Culture?

The Lima Culture, also known as the Maranga, inhabited the area of present-day Lima from about 100 to 650. As their timing overlaps with several nearby civilizations, such as the Paracas, Moche, and Nazca peoples, their history is a bit obscured. However, they are known for interlocking patterns in ceramic artwork and for constructing the first channels from the Rimac River irrigating the coastal desert plains—engineering feats that still exist today.