Marcahuamachuco, Peru
Pre-Inca City of the Dead
A view of El Castillo, a prominent structure at the site.
The site of Marcahuamachuco was a major regional center in the Andean Early Middle Horizon period (300–700A.D.). Located in the northern Peruvian highlands of La Libertad and until recently a difficult site to reach, today a new road makes it accessible in three and a half hours from Trujillo, the third largest city on the country´s Pacific coast and the location of major Moche heritage sites. The function of the site, although not fully clear, was as the seat of a ceremonial oracle, as well as a religious and political center, including turning into a burial site in its later stages. Its influence extended to all of northern Peru and contemporary southern Ecuador. Global Heritage Fund is working with the Unidad Ejecutivo Marcahuamachuco (UEM) to prepare a program of planning, conservation and community development to enable long-term site sustainability.
Marcahuamachuco provides deep insight into ancient cultural traditions in the Pre-Inca northern highlands of Peru. It is a sanctuary with quality and structure similar to those of its contemporary - Pachacamac, existing between the 4th and 12th centuries AD. Today, this monumental site is considered by many to be one of the best archaeological sites in Peru, though its remote location and the low income of the surrounding communities have made sustainable conservation and development difficult. The history of the monument began in a time of intense political activity where there were numerous expansive states forming of varying size.
