Huaca Rajada

In early 1987 looters broke into a chamber at Huaca Rajada and began selling gold; police intervened, and Walter Alva, then director of the Brüning museum in Lambayeque, excavated what remained and found something no one had seen before - an unlooted Moche royal burial. The Lord of Sipán was interred around 250 AD with turquoise and gold ornaments, a gold and silver sceptre, ear spools of inlaid mosaic, banners, and eight other people including women, a guard with amputated feet and a dog. Further tombs followed, including the Old Lord of Sipán. The finds transformed understanding of Moche society and were compared, in impact if not in scale, to Tutankhamun. The site has the eroded adobe pyramids, reconstructed tombs in place showing how the burials were arranged, and a museum; the principal treasures are in the Royal Tombs museum in Lambayeque.

What you actually see

• The tombs - reconstructed in situ, showing how the burials were laid out.
• The pyramids - eroded adobe platforms where the chambers were cut.
• The 1987 story - a discovery that began with looting and a police raid.
• The site museum - context and replicas; the gold is in Lambayeque.

When to go

Year-round; grey coastal cloud from June to October. Two hours. Best combined with the Royal Tombs museum in Lambayeque, where the actual finds are.

Honest expectations

The original treasures are not here - they are in Lambayeque, and visitors expecting gold at the site are disappointed. The pyramids are heavily eroded. Hot with little shade. The tomb displays are reconstructions.

Nearby

Chiclayo is north-west; the Royal Tombs museum is in Lambayeque beyond it.