I was up early on Thursday to meet Javier in the hotel lobby by 8:00AM. We were both punctual, and set off into especially bad Lima traffic as the coastal road was closed for an event. It took us a full hour and a half to reach the ruins of Pachacámac.

The site was named after Pacha Kamaq, a creator god. It was founded around 200AD in the Lurín River Valley and flourished until the Spanish invaded and Francisco Pizarro and his men sacked it, something Javier referred to several times during the day.

The founders of Pachacámac were the Wari, the second great civilisation of Peru after the Lima. The Inca came third and invaded the site before the Spanish came. So this is where we get the name of the city of Lima, after the Lima people, and that name is a mispronunciation of the name of the Rímac River, because of a confusion between the R and L sound, which I found very interesting as this is something we see in other languages, such as Japanese.

Before ruins, we saw some animals. I was gratified that even Javier did not know if this was an alpaca or a llama, and, spoiler, later that day I’d see both in the same enclosure and still walk away confused! But if I had to guess, this is a llama, because of the longer face and haircut.

Guinea pigs are an important source of food in Peru as they are very high in protein.

These dogs are called Peruvian Inca Orchid. While they look very similar to Mexican Xoloitzcuintli, they are only distant relatives.

Just standing in the parking lot, I could not understand the folks who say you can just take a taxi to Pachacámac and walk the site. It is immense, with more than 5 kilometres of road to explore.

I was disappointed that the introductory museum was closed for the morning, but grateful that I had a guide!

The site is very arid, but there is a small oasis near the museum where native plants are grown.

The site is irrigated using Israeli techniques.

The pace of the morning was set at the first stop, where I was told to take about 20 minutes to wander and then meet Javier and the car at the top of a set of stairs.

I don’t know why I was surprised that these were the steps in question!

This is where the women would have lived. While at ground level, I had no idea what I was looking at, seeing it from the top of the staircase was astounding.

Another frequent topic of discussion was this community built on the hills around Pachacámac. Javier called it a favela (slum) and said that there is no way to evict these people who now have full city services.

Between Javier’s explanations and the few placards, I really got a sense for the geography and history of the site.

We dropped the car at one point and climbed UP on foot to the Temple of the Sun. This is when I realised that I really am in decent shape again. I mean, I haven’t climbed anything in years as we don’t have hills in Mérida and I got to the top of that thing barely out of breath.

One of the informational signs had said to watch out for bits of the original red paint:

I was stunned as we went around the temple to discover how close we were to the ocean!

Can you see the turtle?

As we came back to the top of the hill, Javier told me to take my time and that he’d meet me at the bottom with the car.

I do believe this is a chunk of obsidian! It looks remarkably like the piece Andy picks up in The Shawkshank Redemption.

The Temple of the Sun was the last stop and somehow, we were back at the entrance! It had taken about 1.5 hours to do the tour of the site. Javier checked in with a security guard and learned that the museum, but for a couple of displays, was open, so he told me to take 20 minutes or so to go through and he’d wait in the car.

The timeline display was fascinating, firmly placing Pachacámac in its historical context. It again blew my Eurocentric-trained mind to think that this immense complex was flourishing and growing while the Crusades raged on in the Old World.

I struck up a brief conversation with a gentleman at the touch gallery. As per usual, he asked me where I was from as he’d never heard an accent like mine. When I said I’m from Quebec and speak French, he lit up and asked me to stay for just a second while he got someone. He quickly returned with a young lady from France, whom his family is hosting! She and I switched to French and exchanged some information. She’s in Peru for most of the year exploring the culture, a lifelong dream.

20 minutes was just enough time to see and read everything. I left Pachacámac with a much greater understanding of Peruvian history and very grateful for my chance encounter at the exit to Museo Larco.