- Location: Lambayeki Valley, 33 km northeast of Chiclayo, Peru
- Phone: +51 74 422027
- Website: tucume.com
- Number of pyramids: 26
The South American country of Peru is known to us as the cradle of ancient civilizations, in particular, the Incas. Speaking of them, it is impossible not to mention the city of Tukume in the Peruvian "Valley of the Pyramids".
This unique archaeological complex is very unusual and different from the traditional buildings of ancient civilizations. The largest building is the Ukaak-Larga (length - 700 m, width - 280 m, height - 30 m). The construction of the very first pyramids of the complex dates from 700-800. AD, when the Indians of the culture of Lambayeque reigned in the valley.
At the archaeological complex Tucume in Peru there is a museum where you can see artifacts found in tombs: ceramics, ornaments from precious metals. The museum itself is also built in the style of ancient buildings - "uakas".
Pyramids of Tukume - origin and features
These unusual buildings were found by "black archaeologists", who sought here the legendary gold of the Incas. At first it was believed that the pyramids are of natural origin, but later the scientists proved that they were built by people. Materials of construction were bricks from the mud, dried in the sun. There were no spacious halls inside the pyramids, except for a few voids serving as living quarters and corridors. Thanks to this, the researchers, led by a well-known ethnographer, Thor Heyerdahl, came to the conclusion that the pyramids were not meant for the burial of rulers, like the Egyptians, the Mayans, or the Aztecs. The ancient city of Tukume, which consisted of 26 giant pyramids, was considered the habitat of the gods worshiped by this tribe. At the top of the pyramid were the rulers of the Lambayeque Valley.
For a long time scientists puzzled why the representatives of Lambayeque culture needed so many pyramids. The solution turned out to be simple: when there were natural disasters, perceived by the inhabitants of the valley as anger of the gods, the pyramids already erected gradually, one after another, were burnt as desecrated, and the construction of the next structure began.
Tourists are attracted here not only the monumental beauty of grandiose ancient buildings, but also their sinister history. The last pyramid was not just burnt. In addition to the purifying fire, the priests tried to propitiate the gods with the help of not only sacrifices. At the foot of the pyramid were sacrificed 119 people (mostly women and children), after which all the remaining residents left the city of Tukume.
Today, locals avoid this valley, considering it a cursed place and calling it "Purgatory". Probably, the reason for this is human sacrifice, which has been practiced here for many centuries. But the Peruvian shamans, on the contrary, spend their magical rituals here on a weekly basis.
How to get to Tucuma?
Mount La Raya, around which the mysterious pyramids are built, is located on the northern coast of Peru, near the town of Chiclayo . From here to the pyramids regularly runs a regular bus, you can sit on the street in Manuel Pardo. Also in Tukuma you can get on the Pan-American highway from Lima (10 hours by bus) or Trujillo (3 hours). However, most tourists prefer an air way of transportation: by plane from Lima you will enter the valley in just 50 minutes, and from Trujillo - in 15 minutes. In addition to an independent survey of the archaeological complex, you can book an excursion to any of the local travel agencies in Tucuma.
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