HUACA PUCLLANA, LIMA, PERU. GUIDED TOUR & PHOTOS. What Is Huaca Pucllana? How Old Is Huaca Pucllana?

Just to have an idea of the sites, we have the evidence of three Inka groups. First, we know about Lima culture. This is the group that built Pugliana in 400 AD, 400 after Christ. And when Limas built Pugliana, they believed in an area to worship the sea, the ocean. It was and this is the main building of this ceremonial center in honor to the sea. This is the Great Pyramid. And here you can see the architecture, everything made of mud bricks. Millions and millions were produced in Pugliana to build this temple from a flat area. Little by little, the area or the building was getting higher and higher. Talking about the original shape, it would be like a rectangular cake with seven levels, seven platforms, and all the walls painted in yellow. The access to the south was by means of ramps. We don't have stairs in this architecture, just the ramps. Even more, it was part of an original entrance, a big ramp that was going in zigzags to the top. And Limas made a lot of renovations in the architecture. So you can see this original entrance, totally closed. We have other entrances in the back side of the building. During the renovations, Lima people made rituals like human sacrifices, breaking of vessels, and the pancakes, where the main dish was the shark. Very appreciated. So little by little, I will show you the areas for these specific rituals, for each ritual. So to continue with the pyramids, we are going to walk through Jatumpata. Jatumpata is the main square in Pugliana. We have two Quechua words, Iwaka means sacred, and Pugliana, place of amusement, the place for games, but everything related to religious purposes. For example, games in this period, breaking vessels, also the action of dancing. These actions were considered games in this period. For example, here in the lower part, we have Jatumpata. This is a public area. You can imagine Lima people singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, very important for celebrations. Flutes, fan pipes were found here, but also archaeologists have found 30 female burials. We are talking about the human sacrifices as evidence in this section, and you should know that life was considered the most appreciated gift. This is the only way to avoid natural disasters, to have a good harvest, abundance in the farming activity, fishing activity. So that's why we have offerings, human offerings, in this square. The main deity in Pugliana is the sea, the ocean, but in the last years of occupation, this deity was considered a female one. The name, Mamacocha, another Quechua name. Mamacocha, cigar. So, to have a connection with Mamacocha, most of the human offerings were related to women, but there is a characteristic, for example, women were about 16 years old, 20 years old, and most of them were mothers, so I mean they had already children. So this is the connection with Mamacocha, and also the asking for abundance. First, in the fishing activity, this is the main resource for Lima culture. But over the years, the Limas abandoned Pugliana. Probably no water in the surroundings, no more water. So when this area was abandoned, in the 800s after Christ, we had the arrival of a new group. The name is Wari, Wari culture. This group was developed in the south of Peru, and when they arrived to Pugliana, they considered this place a sacred one and perfect to bury leaders. So Pugliana in the 800s became a privileged cemetery. So I will show you a couple of tombs in the upper level. Of course, they are empty because all the bodies were taken out to be studied, and thanks to human remains, we can know the average time of life, illness, or the cause of death, if we have a natural death or probably a human offering. As you can see, it really seems to be like a hill, and even more, some neighbors of Miraflores continue remembering the hill of the Huaca Juliana because it was the official name in 1900. But now you know this is a temple. First, we are going to see 40 years of work, the results of the excavation, and then we are going to see the area under study, okay? Going to see remains of yellow color, okay? That's the official color for all the pyramids. All the pyramids were painted in yellow. Also here in the lower part, you can see little holes, but this is the evidence of offerings. In most of the holes, archaeologists found coca leaves, seeds from different products, corn, seashells, miniatures made of clay. With these offerings, the priests or leaders were able to ask for protection, to ask for advice to the deities, mainly the sea. So this is the offering square, a privileged area during Lima culture. But I was mentioning this group abandoned to Pogliana, so the evidence of what is the second group in the highest point. Opened to the public two months ago, excavations started here in 2009, but this work finished in 2021. So two months ago, this area was open to the public. The name is the viewpoint of the Apus, okay? Apus, hills, and the mountains that probably we are going to see from that side. But also, you are going to see original tombs from the 800s, the evidence of what is in Pogliana. Tombs are empty. All the bodies were taken out to be studied, but when we are back, I will show you a representation of the bantos, a funeral bantos, okay? Original tombs from the 800s, one meter deep, three meters deep, and the size depends how many characters were found in each one. In some tombs, archaeologists found three people, an adult, a leader, and very close children. But in the case of children, after studies, we know they were offered to the deity. We are talking about human sacrifices also in this period. In other tombs, archaeologists found 11 people. So more offerings, we think the character was more powerful, the leader was more powerful. For sure, there are more tombs because the other side of the pyramid is under excavation. As evidence, let me show you this side, please. For example, here you can see more tombs from Waris, Wariculture. For Waris, death was very important. They believed in a new life after death. So that's why tombs were well prepared. We have bodies placed in fetal position or seated position, accompanied with food, textiles, and then everything wrapped in layers of cloth. Over the bundle of the leader, we have a fake head that represents the new life in the afterworld. And then all the tombs were covered with pieces of wood and decay. At the moment, 82 tombs were identified. But if you look a little bit further, you can see the area under excavation. Well, for sure, more tombs. Archaeologists used x-rays to see what's underneath the dirt, so they identified more tombs and probably the evidence of other groups that occupied Pocayana. At the moment, three pre-Inka groups. First, we have Limaculture. This is the group that built Pocayana in honor to the sea. Then we have Waris reusing this temple as a privileged cemetery. And when this group abandoned Pocayana, we had the rise of a new group named Ixma. Ixma culture, 1400, the last occupation in Pocayana. And then we think because of erosion, dirt that was collapsing from the upper levels, little by little, everything you can see was totally covered. The result, the hill that was in 1900s. As you can see a little bit further, that's the condition of all the sites. Will archaeologists continue working? And they mentioned they need 50 years more to finish with excavations. So in future, probably some of us are going to see the complete area, the complete pyramids with more findings. So to finish in this section, well, it's clear, but we have a mist over there. So in that direction, we have the ocean. Normally from here, we can see the ocean in that direction. And let me show you Okay, there, you can see that's the beginning of the central Andes. The chain of mountains, but in the central part, the Andes, it starts here. That's why that section is named the foothills from the Andes. Well, in ancient times, they were considered apus, protector gods. And that's why also Huaca Pocayana was classified a ceremonial center, because all the findings here, beautiful potteries, beautiful textiles, are related to celebration. So we don't have evidence of people living here, not elements, spoons, pots, or probably elements that were used in the everyday life. Everything found here related to celebration. And because of the pandemic, we are not able to see these original findings. But during the way down, you are going to see copies of potteries, of coca leaves, everything found in the excavations that started in 1918. Here, we have a good example of how leaders were buried. Just to know the tomb, the niche, is original. Everything inside is copied, but it's the way how the original funeral bundles were found. We don't have mummies. Instead, we have funeral bundles. So it means a skeleton, a dead, placed in fetal position, but just the bones survived to the years. And then, very close to this skeleton, we have cotton, we have coca leaves, we have corn, and then everything wrapped in layers of cloth. Just over the bundle of the leader, you have a fake head. The fake head represents the new life after death. This is the beginning of the journey to the afterworld. That's why the tomb was well prepared. And these bundles, in both sides, in the walls, the smallest you can see, they are babies. They were about one or five months old. Well, after studies, we know they were human offerings, and archaeologists mentioned probably children were considered guides to the afterworld. That's why they are accompanied leaders in most of the tombs. I mentioned 82 tombs were identified. In most of them, this is the model of bearing people, the leader and human offerings beside. And then, the tomb was covered with pieces of wood and a cane. This is the original material. Only here, you are going to see this covering, this roof. This is original from the 800s. So, as you can see, we don't have new architecture. What has adapted this area? They destroyed some platforms, they made hollows, they prepared the structure in order to bury their leaders. And this use finished in the 900s, approximately, so after 100 years of occupation. And then, Guaris had a decline in the political organization, internal division. So, it means that many families stayed in Lima, but they were divided. They were not Guaris anymore. But years passed, and in the 1400s, these families decided to get together. So, they made a new group, the name Ixma. Ixma culture is the last occupation in Pugliana. Well, I will show you a social representation of this group to have a better idea. But please, before going down, in this area, you can notice these poles. They are copies of the original ones, but they mentioned this area was roofed, was protected. So, you can imagine the leader here, talking with the deity, long hours, asking for protection, for an advice. And during this celebration, the leader used to eat shark meat and drink chicha de jora. Okay, just to know, chicha de jora is like beer, but made of fermented corn. And the evidence in the vessels archaeologists found in that section, well, they are a copy of the ones found here. Eating shark, drinking chicha de jora was a sacred activity, just for the leaders, just for the priests. We know about osteoporosis, tuberculosis, and the size of these people, 140. So, these characters, you are going to see more. They are in real scale, physical characteristics. The way of dressing also is based on archaeological evidence. Okay, copy of the vestments in this period. These characters represent Ixma culture. This is the last occupation in Pucallana. They are giving offerings to another deity. The deity was named Pachacamac. Pachacamac, the lord of earthquakes and tremors. This deity is represented in a wooden carving. You can see a wooden carving in this ritual. That's Pachacamac, the lord of earthquakes. So, giving offerings is a good way to keep the deity in calm, and also to avoid natural disasters. Over the years, also Ixmas worshiped the ancestors in this section of the temple, and in 1400, they abandoned the site. Well, we don't know the reason. I was mentioning the arrival of Incas in 1450, so probably Ixmas escaped from the Incas. But before, they buried intentionally parts of the temple to protect it. And then, because of erosion, dirt that was collapsing from the upper levels, everything was totally covered. So, again, you can see there the condition of Pucallana before official studies. So, it really seemed to be like a hill. That's why some groups were practicing mud across this temple. But, happily, now it's safe. We are going to see more about the 40 years of work. Official studies start in 1981. Limas could obtain mud, a lot of mud. And then, in other sections, clay, less than two kilometers away, seashells, because we are very close to the ocean, the round stones, and water. Water came by means of irrigation canals. Canals were connected to Rimac river. From here, six kilometers away to the central part of this city. Well, irrigation canals, in some cases, survived, but not anymore to supply water, but to irrigate these green areas in modern cities like Miraflores, Azurco, La Molina, and more districts. So, now, we go to the other side. Well, this is a long way. We should get the direction of the restaurant, but we are going to use this way. So, you are going to see in this section some native crops and animals that were domesticated. These products, these species, exist in this period, in this early period of 400 A.D., and they continue existing in our days. In some cases, people continue chewing totally to have more energy to work hours and hours without eating. There you have native cotton, unique in the world because of the natural color. Native cotton from Peru is unique in the world because we have a variety of natural colors. Yellow color, blue, and yellowish, and also the most common white color. Very appreciated. Also, this is the original vegetation that was growing around the temple in the swamp, in the underground. Also, here, we have a crocodile that were part of the nourishment. They live in the swamp. Now, we have just one swamp in Lima, in the Rio district, and here, we have llama, alpaca. This one is not a good presentation, but this is a llama. Okay, the llama is bigger, the neck is longer, and the one with light brown hair, just the one with light brown hair, is an alpaca. You can notice the difference talking about the size. Llama is much bigger, the neck is longer, and also the face is longer. It was used as pack animal to transport possessions, potteries, and not the people. People should walk long distances. Llamas just were used to transport the possessions. It can support 40 kilos approximately, and in the case of the alpaca, the fur is very appreciated for the textiles. It's very soft, and also because of the meat. The people used to consume alpaca meat. Well, in our days, this is part of the Peruvian gastronomy, and these animals can be mixed, and as a result, we have hybrids. The name for this hybrid, Misty, Wari, and Warisos, depends if the llama is a father or the mother, so we have the name for this hybrid. Here, we have one hybrid that is two years old. From left to right, we are going to count one, two, three, four, okay? The four to the right is a hybrid. The name is Misty. Misty is the result of llama mother and alpaca father. It's two years old. Also, the fur is appreciated for the softer. Alpaca fur is softer. That's why it's more expensive. Sometimes, they are very friendly. You can touch them, but we should pay attention to them all the time because they spit suddenly, and they spit a lot, just a little. This character represents workers in Guatapocllana. In this case, a bricklayer, and here, we can see the process of manufacture for the mud bricks. First, pressing the mud with the feet in order to add crushed seashells, water, clay, mixing everything, and then giving shape by hand. So, I mean, all the mud bricks were shaped by hand and dried by the sun. No firing process in Pucllana. So, according to the studies, 200 years were needed to finish all the construction, and in this period, also, there were celebrations. We know about people dancing, singing, giving offerings, and also breaking vessels. So, a lot of fragments from big vessels were found in this section. I will show you a social representation of this ritual. So, we go, please, to the last section of the temple. This is the last representation we can see about Lima people, Lima culture, the first group in Pucllana. Just to remember the groups in this temple, Limas, they built Pucllana in honor to the sea. Waris used the top of the pyramid as a privileged cemetery, and finally, each month, using the lower parts of the pyramid to worship the ancestors, and after this group, no more occupation in Pucllana. Here, you can see the representation of the first group, Lima culture, but they are the priests, they are the leaders in the temple. Characters that are based in archaeological evidence, also the way of vestments is a copy after the findings, the sandals, and the leader here is holding a stone in order to break the pottery. So, it was part of the ritual, and this action means a change, probably a change in the architecture, a new government in Pucllana. Happily, most of the fragments of the vessels were found, so they were reconstructed as puzzles, and designs were visible. For example, in the copy, the design is a stylish shark. The shark is the main symbol of the sea, but also in other vessels, we have ocean waves, fishes, sea lions, everything that's in Pucllana. So, to finish with the explanation, we have more than 1,500 years of history, but archaeologists continue working. They need 50 years more, and the meaning of Waka Pucllana, two Quechua words, Waka means sacred, and Pucllana, place of amusement, a place for games. In that translation, we have a sacred place for games, but games like this one, related to religious celebrations. So, dear visitors, this is all the information I could share about the site. Thank you so much for your attention. Please, we should live together, so let me accompany you a little bit more, okay? Thank you so much.