Huaca Mateo Salado

Mateo Salado is a complex of five adobe pyramids covering around sixteen hectares in the middle of Lima, built by the Ychsma between roughly 1100 and 1450 AD and then taken over by the Inca. The name comes from a French hermit burned by the Inquisition in 1573, who is said to have lived among the ruins. For most of the twentieth century the site was neglected, used for dumping, encroached on by building and crossed by informal paths; a state recovery programme from 2007 cleared, fenced, excavated and opened it, and the transformation is one of the better urban heritage stories in Lima. Ramps, plazas and enclosure walls have been exposed, some with the original mud plaster and traces of paint. Visits are by guided route at set times, and the site also runs night visits. The city presses right against the perimeter on every side.

What you actually see

• The five pyramids - Ychsma adobe platforms across sixteen hectares.
• The recovery - a site reclaimed from decades of dumping and encroachment from 2007.
• The plaster - original mud finish and traces of paint on exposed walls.
• The Inquisition name - from the hermit burned in Lima in 1573.

When to go

Year-round. One to two hours. Access is by guided visit at scheduled times, including some evening tours - check the schedule before travelling.

Honest expectations

Entry is only with a guide at set times, so turning up at random may mean waiting or being turned away. No shade and dusty. The surrounding neighbourhoods need normal city caution. Excavation is ongoing and areas close without notice.

Nearby

Pueblo Libre and its museums are west; central Lima is east.