Huaca Esmeralda

Huaca Esmeralda is a two-tier Chimú platform with ramps, and its decoration is the reason to stop: adobe reliefs across the walls showing fishing nets in diamond mesh, pelicans, fish, sea otters and marine motifs, which is what you would expect from a state whose economy ran on the Pacific. It was found by accident in 1923 when the mound was cleared, and it was then exposed to rain in the exceptional El Niño years - 1925 in particular - which did severe damage before conservation began; parts have since been protected under roofing. The structure is thought to have been ceremonial. It sits in the Mansiche district of Trujillo, hemmed in by houses, and it is on the combined ticket with Chan Chan, the site museum and Huaca Arco Iris, taking half an hour. The reliefs are fragile and viewing is from marked paths.

What you actually see

• The marine reliefs - nets, pelicans, fish and sea otters in adobe.
• The two platforms - stepped tiers connected by ramps.
• The 1923 discovery - uncovered by accident, then damaged by El Niño rain.
• The protection - roofing installed over the most vulnerable surfaces.

When to go

Year-round; grey coastal cloud from June to October. Thirty to sixty minutes. Covered by the two-day Chan Chan combined ticket.

Honest expectations

Small and quickly seen. Erosion has flattened much of the relief work and some areas are fenced off. Surrounded by housing, with no real setting. Take a taxi rather than walking in.

Nearby

Chan Chan is west; Huaca Arco Iris is north on the same ticket.