Pre-Inca Ruins in Lima Peru
James Bustamante is Native to New York but born to Peruvian parents. He has been traveling throughout Latin America since early 2003 and finally made his home in Peru. James has made his way by eating and traveling through almost every country in Central and South America.
Last Updated on May 17, 2021 by James Bustamante
There are Pre-Inca ruins in Lima like Pachacamac, Huaca Pucllana, and Huaca Huallamarca which you can visit during your stop at the capital. As amazing as ruins like Machu Picchu or Sacsayhuaman are, they are not the oldest archaeological finds in the country, check out these ruins that predate anything the Incas built.
Just as a point of reference for the article, the term “Huaca” means it is a sacred place or a place of great relevance, it can even be an object of great importance to the culture in question. The name comes from the “Quechua” language which was used by many cultures in this region of the world and was the official language of the Inca.
Pre-Inca Ruins Located Along The Coast
Peru is known for the vast number of Pre-Incan cultures and archaeological sites that are distributed throughout the coast, highland, and Amazon rainforest regions. Whereas Machu Picchu is an Inca ruin, there are other much older constructions like Chan Chan in northern Peru or the Huaca Pucllana in Lima.
Yes, the capital and cosmopolitan city of Lima is home to one of the older pre-Inca ruins you will find on the continent. Let’s go over a few details regarding at least 5 pre-Inca ruins in Lima, Peru.
The Pachacamac Ruins
The Pachacamac ruins are located around 30 minutes from the capital city. Pachacamac was known to the local cultures as an important place to worship the gods. In fact, the name Pachacamac is from the Quechua language and it means “Earth Maker”, Pacha meaning earth, and Kamaq meaning Maker.
Pachacamac was actually constructed by two different cultures, they were the Huari and The Lima culture. They both played a major role in developing this sacred place, however, it seems the Lima culture in fact played a bigger role in the overall construction of this complex.
The land was originally settled in the year 200 AD and the construction of Pachacamac began shortly after. By the year 1470 Pachacama had been overtaken by the conquering Incan empire. The Incas however, saw great value in this sacred place and kept it as it was. They even went as far as adding one of the Huari gods to their own pantheon of Inca gods: Rowe, a god that holds a staff on each hand.
It is very easy to get to Pachacama and there are various methods of reaching the ruins. The drive takes 30-45 minutes from Miraflores depending on how much traffic there is. Pachacamac can be included in the full-day Lima tour.
Pachacamac Ruins Address: Antigua Panamericana Sur 31.5, Pachacamac 1584
Huaca Pucllana
The next pre-Inca ruins in Lima are closer than you would think. Most travelers will be staying in a district called Miraflores, this is exactly where we will find the Huaca Pucllana. This complex located in one of the most cosmopolitan districts in Lima has a pyramid made with clay and adobe; it was built between 200 and 700 AD.
The Lima culture would use the Huaca Pucllana for religious purposes but also served in administrative tasks. The Pyramid has 7 major levels, each with its own respective characteristics such as the main square, niches, rooms, and other details as well.
The Huaca Pucllana today can be visited by anyone starting at 10:00 am and tours can be scheduled as late as 10:00 pm. One of the interesting details is that there is a restaurant right next to the Pre Inca ruins and it is called by the same name, the restaurant “ La Huaca Pucllana”.
You can enjoy traditional Peruvian food as you taste delicacies such as Lomo Saltado, Peruvian ceviche, a refreshing Pisco sour, and several more. The view from the restaurant is in the direction of the ruins so it is a great place to take photographs of the ruins.
Huaca Pucllana Address: Ca. Gral. Borgoño cuadra 8, Miraflores 15074
Huaca Huallamarca
The Huaca Huallamarca is another set of pre-Inca Inca ruins in Lima, this time in the upscale district of San Isidro. The Huaca Huallamarca just like the previous constructions on this list was built by the Lima culture that predated the Incan empire. These ruins were used by the local culture as an important temple and as a burial ground as well.
These ruins were used as a place for human settlement after the Incan empire conquered the coastal region of Peru. The people who eventually settled here actually added new areas to the Huaca Huallamarca by building niches, patios, areas or cooking and even places for storage.
You can visit the Huaca Huallamarca starting at 10:00 am and the tours can be as late as 5:00 pm.
Huaca Huallamarca Address: Nicholas River Avenue 201, San Isidro, Lima, Peru.
Huaca de San Marcos
The Huaca San Marcos is part of the archaeological complex of Maranga which houses several adobe pyramids, plazas and living quarters downstream of the Rimac river.
La Huaca San Marcos forma parte del Complejo Arqueológico Maranga que abarca. The Huaca San Marcos dates back between the years 200 and 700 AD and was built by the Lima culture. This particular complex is not really apt for visitations but there is a movement that is trying to work with the University of San Marcos in order to prepare the area for tourism.
Huaca Mateo Salado
The Huaca Mateo Salado was a religious and administrative focal point used by the Ychsma culture, it was built around 1100 AD. After the Inca took over they modified the architecture of the complex to include the Inca road system known as the Qhapaq Ñan which connected the “Tahuantinsuyo” or Incan empire.
You can visit the Huaca Mateo Salado on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Huaca Mateo Salado Address: 12 y 13 de la Av. Mariano Cornejo – Cercado de Lima
Conclusion
All 5 locations predate the Inca ruins you will find in many places in the Peruvian highlands. Among the 5 mentioned there are 4 that are available for day trips and can be included in a full-day tour of the capital.
If you would like to visit any of the pre Inca ruins in Lima before you head to Cusco to begin your Machu Picchu hike, contact our travel advisers today for a personalized itinerary.
