Holiday in Trujillo

What makes Trujillo special as a destination?

Trujillo is the secret cultural capital of northern Peru and the birthplace of two great pre-Columbian civilizations — the Moche and the Chimu. The third-largest city in Peru is located in a fertile coastal strip between the Atacama Desert and the Pacific Ocean, combining an impressive colonial center with world-class archaeological treasures. Chan Chan, the largest adobe citadel in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located just 5 kilometers west of the city: The capital of the Chimu Empire (circa 900-1470 AD) once extended over 20 square kilometers and housed up to 100,000 inhabitants. The intricate adobe wall reliefs depict fish, birds, waves, and geometric patterns that still impress despite centuries of erosion. The Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Sun and Moon Pyramids) of the Moche culture (100-800 AD) lie south of the city: The Huaca del Sol was the largest pyramid in South America, built with 50 million adobe bricks, while the smaller Huaca de la Luna has preserved colorful wall paintings featuring the fearsome god Ai Apäc. The polychrome reliefs in red, yellow, white, and black are among the best-preserved pre-Columbian artworks in the Americas. The colonial center of Trujillo around the Plaza de Armas is one of the best-preserved in Peru: Pastel-colored mansions with wrought-iron balconies and courtyards (Casonas), the yellow cathedral, and the carved wooden windows of Casa Urquiaga tell of its heyday as the richest sugar town of the colonial era. In nearby Huanchaco, a traditional fishing village on the Pacific, fishermen still use Caballitos de Totora — reed-woven one-man boats that have been built unchanged for over 3,000 years. The long left-hand wave also makes Huanchaco a popular surf spot on the Peruvian coast.