TUCUME PYRAMIDS

In an area between the South American cities of Chiclayo and Trujillo, archaeologists have unearthed the remains of 26 pyramids. The Valley of the Pyramids, as they are called, reveals evidence of a civilization that may have thrived more than 1,500 years ago. Inside one of the pyramids lies the tomb of Sipan, one of the most recognizable, interesting and important tombs ever discovered. It is the burial site of a revered leader, a man who was not only buried with a collection of treasures but also with several subjects who were alive at the time of burial. Although the site is still being excavated, archaeologists have already uncovered many semi-precious stones and gold, silver and copper artifacts.

Purgatorio (purgatory) is the name by which local people refer to the dozens of prehispanic pyramids, enclosures and mounds found on the plain around La Raya Mountain, south of the La Leche River. This is the site of Tucume, covering an area of over 540 acres and encompassing 26 major pyramids and platforms.
This site was a major regional center, maybe even the capital of the successive occupations of the area by the Lambayeque/Sican (1000/1100-1350 AD) CHECK CHECK, Chimú (1350-1450 AD) and Inca (1450-1532 AD). Local shaman healers (“curanderos”) invoke the power of Tucume and La Raya Mountain in their rituals, and local people fear these sites. Hardly anyone other than healers ventures out in this site at night.