El Paraíso

El Paraíso, also called Chuquitanta, is a group of stone-built structures in the lower Chillón valley dating to roughly 2000 to 1800 BC - the Late Preceramic, before pottery, before maize agriculture dominated, and contemporary with the Caral sites to the north. The complex covers around fifty hectares with more than half a dozen units, built of quarried stone set in mud mortar and plastered, some of them substantial; the best-known unit was partly reconstructed in the 1960s. Its people lived on marine resources and grew cotton for nets and textiles, part of the maritime foundation argument for how coastal Andean civilisation began. In 2013 one of the units was bulldozed by a construction company, destroying a four-thousand-year-old structure entirely, which made national news and illustrates the pressure on archaeological sites at the edge of expanding Lima.

What you actually see

• The stone units - more than half a dozen preceramic structures across fifty hectares.
• The date - around 2000 BC, among the oldest monumental building in the Americas.
• The maritime economy - a society built on fishing and cotton rather than grain farming.
• The 2013 destruction - one unit bulldozed by developers and lost entirely.

When to go

Year-round; coastal cloud makes June to October grey. One to two hours. Access arrangements vary - check with the culture ministry or a Lima operator before going.

Honest expectations

Little presented for visitors: limited signage, irregular staffing and no facilities. The remains are low stone walls that need explanation to read. The surrounding area is industrial and encroaching. Confirm access before making the trip.

Nearby

The Chillón valley runs inland; central Lima is south.