Huaca Rajada–Sipán

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About Huaca Rajada–Sipán

Huaca Rajada is a complex of three adobe pyramids near the village of Sipán, in the Lambayeque river valley, about 35 km southeast of Chiclayo. It was occupied by the Moche culture between the 1st and 7th centuries and later by the Lambayeque culture. Two pyramids are large; the third, smaller, is the funerary platform where the royal tombs were located.

The site was being looted when, in 1987, archaeologist Walter Alva and his team began a salvage excavation. They found the intact tomb of the Lord of Sipán, a Moche ruler buried with crowns, chest ornaments, necklaces and earspools of gold, silver and shells, accompanied by other individuals. Later other tombs were found, such as that of the Old Lord of Sipán and that of a priest.

On the site, the funerary platform shows the excavated tombs, with replicas of the bodies and offerings in the positions where they were found. The Museo de Sitio Huaca Rajada–Sipán, beside it, tells the story of the excavations and displays pieces found in more recent seasons.

The original pieces from the main tomb are in the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, in Lambayeque. Visiting both places completes the experience: at Huaca Rajada you see where the tombs were; in Lambayeque you see what was inside them.