In the middle of Miraflores, surrounded by modern buildings, stands Huaca Pucllana, a great adobe pyramid built by the Lima culture between approximately 200 and 700 AD. It is one of the most surprising sights in the city: a 1,500-year-old ceremonial center just a few blocks from Parque Kennedy.
A ceremonial center
Huaca Pucllana was an administrative and religious center, where the elite of the Lima culture held ceremonies and offerings dedicated to the sea and to water. Its main pyramid rises in seven stepped platforms and is surrounded by plazas, courtyards and enclosures.
The bookshelf technique
The pyramid was built with millions of small handmade adobe bricks, placed vertically with spaces between them, like books on a shelf. This technique allowed the structure to move slightly during earthquakes without collapsing, one reason it has survived for so many centuries.
Later inhabitants
After the Lima culture declined, the Wari used the site as a cemetery for their elite. Archaeologists have found Wari burials with textiles, ceramics and offerings, some of which are on display in the site museum.
What you will see
- The great pyramid and its adobe walls
- Plazas and ceremonial courtyards
- A small museum with ceramics, textiles and burials
- A garden with native plants and animals of ancient Peru, such as guinea pigs, llamas and Peruvian hairless dogs
The site has a restaurant with views of the illuminated pyramid at night.
Visit Huaca Pucllana
The visit is guided and takes about one hour. You can include it in our Huaca Pucllana and Larco Museum private tour.