46 Travel
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weaving, featur-
ing geometric
patterns with,
in some cases,
nearly 400
threads per inch, a
mind-boggling level
of craftsmanship that
can be appreciated in one
of A Journey in Time’s exhib-
its, a ceremonial shirt or unku from
about AD650, featuring broad red stripes
and elaborate depictions of Andean life.
The Moche, who lived on the central
coast during what in Europe was the
early Middle Ages, are, in Peru at least,
best known for their lascivious pottery –
think a 3D pre-Colombian version of the
Kama Sutra — endless examples of
which can be seen in Lima’s small but
packed Larco Museum.
The Larco, though, is not for everyone.
I took my son, then eight, in a failed
attempt at early sex education. He radiat-
ed ennui throughout — until he realised
that the restaurant had chicken nuggets
on the menu.W other peoples, including the Wari, who
preceded them and who developed much
of the culture and religious beliefs that we
now regard as “Inca”.
Behind them they left an archaeological
legacy as rich as that of the Mediterranean
basin, one that is now the subject of the
British Museum’s latest blockbuster exhi-
bition, Peru: A Journey in Time, which
opened last week. It may be the perfect cue
for that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Peru
and, like Pikillacta, provides an overdue
reminder that the country has so much
more to offer than Machu Picchu.
That is no slight on the sublime, mystical
citadel. Rather, it is recognising that the
South American country has archaeologi-
cal sites from across the ages, several of
them rivalling Machu Picchu in scale and,
arguably, splendour, yet receiving just a
trickle of visitors. It also has just about every
type of ecosystem on planet Earth, vibrant
living cultures and truly great cuisine.
Of course, any visit to Peru — or at least
any first visit — will take in the Sacred Val-
ley of the Incas. But if you want to get away
from the crowds, you can try exploring
some of the remoter corners of the valley,
and also focus your itinerary elsewhere on
pre-Inca sites such as Pikillacta.
I spent several days in the valley based
at Explora, a new all-inclusive lodge that
prides itself on its social and environmen-
tal sustainability, going out on foot with
the hotel’s guides. Striding in light rain
through the neighbouring altiplano, or
high plains, some 13,000ft above sea level,
the only reminders that you are not in the
Scottish Highlands are the thin air and
occasional llama.
Back at the lodge I was restored by a
menu designed by Virgilio Martínez, the
chef behind Lima’s acclaimed Central
restaurant. It encompasses everything
from rare Andean tubers to venison and
duck, with assorted Peruvian flavourings
such as huacatay, or black mint, and miel
de chancaca, a cane syrup flavoured with
cinnamon and cloves.
Andean cultures began flourishing
some 5,000 years ago, with Caral, a com-
plex of temples and amphitheatres on the
coast, three hours north of Lima, among
the oldest-known settlements in the
western hemisphere.
These ancient peoples adapted bril-
liantly to Peru’s diverse and
often hostile landscapes,
from the coastal desert
and abundant but
frigid Pacific Ocean
to the world’s
longest mountain
chain and the
endless jungles.
They includ-
ed the Paracas,
Nasca, Moche
and Chimú peo-
ples, who lived
along the barren
littoral, as well as
the Chavín, Wari and,
finally, Inca civilisa-
tions, up in the Andes. All
feature in A Journey in Time at
the British Museum.
These cultures left behind remarkable
physical testaments to their ways of life in
one of the last corners of the globe com-
pletely cut off, until 1528, from the rest of
the world. That state of isolation resulted
in ways of thinking that, for western eyes,
remain fascinatingly alien.
The Wari, whose empire once covered
most of the Peruvian Andes and Pacific
coast and preceded the Incas by some 500
years, developed such quintessentially
“Inca” features as agricultural terracing
and a network of roads crisscrossing their
sprawling territories.
They were also famous for their fine
The Moche also left behind the Lord of
Sipán grave. Buried in golden, silver and
turquoise armour and jewels, and ac-
companied by mummified soldiers with
amputated feet, apparently to prevent
them marching out of the tomb, this
ancient ruler’s final resting place is now
home to the award-winning Royal
Tombs of Sipán Museum.
If you are a surfer, Sipán is also a
relatively short hop from the beach of
Chicama, which has a two-mile wave,
thought to be the longest break in the
world. Only elite surfers can ride the entire
thing, and only in the right conditions —
I made it about 50 yards before wiping out
— but it is worth recalling that Peru is a
world-class surfing destination, with
breaks for all levels, including in Lima.
The Nasca, who spanned 200BC to
AD600, famously left behind their images
of a killer whale, birds, monkey and spider,
among other creatures, in the southern
desert, geoglyphs that are so vast they are
best appreciated from the air. There have
been accidents, however, so it is advisable
to set up your flight through a reputableagency, such as Journey Latin America,
rather than locally.
Yet possibly the least known of the cul-
tures on display at the British Museum is
the Chavín, who were knocking around
from 1200BC to 500BC. They left behind
the first big religious site in the Andes, a
temple complex in the central highlands
near the trekking and mountaineering
hub of Huaraz.
From the outside the complex resem-
bles a large mound of earth, but with
jutting feline stone heads. Inside is a laby-
rinth of tunnels that lead to the Lanzón,
an imposing granite stela of a snarling
human-like figure with snakes for hair,
claws and what appear to be jaguar teeth.
The Lanzón is thought to have been dedi-
cated to fertility deities to ensure abundant
harvests. But only a few of the Chavín
people, perhaps priests and royalty, would
have been allowed to approach it, and prob-
ably only in a hallucinogenic trance. Today,
even in a state of complete sobriety, it sends
a frisson of electricity through any visitor
who sets eyes on it at the far end of a dimly
lit, claustrophobic corridor.Simeon Tegel was a guest
of Journey Latin America,
which offers a ten-night
trip to Lima, Cusco and
the Sacred Valley from
£4,563pp, with flights,
transfers, most meals
and guided excursions,
including to Machu
Picchu, plus first-class
hotels and a stay at
Explora Valle Sagrado
(journeylatinamerica.
co.uk). For additional
information on Peru see
promperu.ukw
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