Túcume

Túcume is usually called the Valley of the Pyramids, and the name is accurate: more than twenty adobe mounds cluster around a rocky hill in a plain of algarrobo trees. They were raised by the Lambayeque culture from around the eleventh century, then taken over by the Chimú and later the Inca, so the complex carries three occupations. Huaca Larga is among the largest adobe structures anywhere. Centuries of rare but violent rain have rounded the pyramids into ridges and gullies, which is why the short climb up the hill matters - from the ridge the plan snaps into focus, and from ground level it does not.

What you actually see

• The view from the hill - the only place the layout of the mounds is legible.
• Huaca Larga - one of the largest adobe structures built in the Americas.
• The site museum - finds, models and the excavation history of the complex.
• The algarrobo woodland - dry forest and carob trees between the mounds.

When to go

Any time of year, and firmly in the morning. The climb to the viewpoint is short but fully exposed and by eleven the plain is baking. Late afternoon light is good too but the site closes before sunset. Local ceremonies and craft demonstrations sometimes run at the museum, though not on a fixed calendar.

Honest expectations

At ground level the pyramids are shapeless mounds and disappoint anyone expecting Egypt; the interest is the scale and the archaeology, not the silhouette. The viewpoint path is steep, loose and hot, with no shade. The museum is good but small. Combining Túcume with the Sipán museum and Ferreñafe in one day is standard and makes for a long, hot day of driving.

Nearby

The Sipán museum in Lambayeque and the Sicán museum in Ferreñafe are both close.