Peru is one of the countries in South America that preserves the heritage of ancient civilizations and strikes with natural beauty. Almost all the main attractions of Peru are under the protection of UNESCO. Among them:
- Machu Picchu;
- the city of Cuzco;
- the historic center of Lima;
- the historic center of Arequipa;
- Chavin de Huantar.
So what to see in Peru? Where to go for a traveler who has never been to this country before?
Top 15 attractions in Peru
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
City built by the Incas in the 15th century. It seems to float in the clouds over the top of the mountain range. The skill of its builders amazes modern specialists.
The history of the city, the purpose of many of its buildings, even its real name remain a mystery to scientists. They only have guesses. One of the questions to which there is no clear answer concerns the mysterious disappearance of the inhabitants of this ancient city. During the Spanish invasion of the Inca empire, the city was deserted. But why did the inhabitants abandon it, why did they leave this wonderful refuge, which the Spaniards never managed to reach? There is a legend according to which the gods heard the prayers of the Incas, who asked for salvation from the conquerors: the city was enveloped in clouds and all the inhabitants disappeared.
For four centuries, no one knew about the existence of this city (except for a group of local peasants); it was discovered only at the beginning of the 20th century.
Cuzco
Cuzco
An ancient city founded by the Incas, which was the capital of their empire. It has been established that people lived here long before the Incas: traces of the most ancient settlements discovered at this place by archaeologists are about 3 millennia.
In the first half of the 16th century, the city was captured by the Spaniards. On the foundations of ancient temples and residential buildings, the conquerors erected their own residences and churches. Often not only the foundations were preserved, but also the walls built by the Incas. Today, these walls and foundations are the most interesting sights of the city.
Chavin de Huantar
Several archaeological sites located north of the capital of Peru bear this name. The main buildings of this complex are two temples, an old one and a new one. They were built around 900 BC. NS.
In temples, you can see many images of gods, including a flying crocodile (god of food), a creature with long fangs and snake hair (god of the balance of opposing forces), jaguar (god of the other world) and other deities. Also in the temples were found images of people under the influence of hallucinogens. These substances were used in religious rituals.
The temples are equipped with drainage channels; Once upon a time, the rainwater that ran over them made a sound that resembled the roar of a jaguar - such was the unusual acoustics of temples.
Chan Chan
Archaeological area, remains of an ancient city. Chan Chan, founded at the beginning of the 14th century, has long been the largest city on the continent. It was the capital of Chimor, one of the pre-Columbian Indian states. During the heyday of the city, about 60 thousand people lived here. All of its buildings are built of adobe. The city contained enormous wealth (silver and gold).
In the 15th century, the capital of the ancient state was captured by the Incas. But they did not begin to destroy the adobe city. This was done by the Spaniards who conquered the Inca empire in the 16th century.
Today, the ancient landmark is under threat of destruction due to climate change. Once, precipitation was a rarity in this area, but now adobe buildings can be simply washed out.
Some parts of the ancient city are open to tourists. Travelers can see the festive halls, their exotic luxurious ornaments and other wonders of the ancient city.
Nazca geoglyphs
Nazca geoglyphs
One of the biggest mysteries of Peru. Giant drawings, geometric shapes and lines found on the Nazca plateau. They were created even before the Incas settled in this area. Scientists date geoglyphs to the first centuries AD or even earlier. Images are visible only from a bird's eye view. They were discovered in the 30s of the XX century: they were seen from an airplane flying over this area.
Who created these gigantic drawings, and for what purpose? How did the ancient inhabitants of these places manage to draw perfectly straight lines of such length, because even the methods of modern geodesy do not allow achieving such accuracy? Questions remain unanswered, scientists today have only assumptions.
You can see the geoglyphs by joining one of the air excursions, they are held here every day (but you need to book a place in advance). From above, you will see huge images of a monkey, a condor, a spider, a hummingbird, a humanoid creature (also called an astronaut) … The flight will last about half an hour. You can also view the drawings from a special observation deck, but only two geoglyphs are visible from there.
Caral
The remains of ancient mysterious cities in Peru can be compared to magnets attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists. Among these attractions are the ruins of the ancient city of Caral near Lima.
The heyday of this city fell on the XXX-XVIII centuries BC! It is considered one of the most ancient cities not only in the country, but in America as a whole.
An interesting detail: during archaeological excavations, many musical instruments, reed bags, remains of monumental architecture were found here, but no traces of defensive structures and not a single sample of weapons were found.
Historic center of Lima
Historic center of Lima
The founder of the city was Francisco Pissarro, who arrived here in the 16th century. His standard-bearer, Jerónimo de Aliaga, built a house for himself on the site where the Indian sanctuary used to be. Today this house is the oldest building in the city. The descendants of the standard-bearer still live in it.
In the historic center of Lima, there are many other, no less interesting buildings. Among them:
- Archbishop's Palace;
- Museum of Italian Art;
- Pilate's House;
- Cathedral.
One of the architectural features of the historic city center is the large number of balconies. This is a kind of visiting card of Lima.
Campo de Marte
A large park in the capital of Peru. It is also called the lungs of the city. There are several monuments in the park. Among them is a monument dedicated to the country's defenders who fought in the war between Peru and Ecuador in the middle of the 20th century. Here you can see a monument to the famous pilot Jorge Chavez and a sculpture dedicated to all mothers.
Historic Center of Arequipa
Historic Center of Arequipa
The city was founded by the Spaniards in the 16th century, but people lived here long before that: in the 6th or 7th centuries BC, the area was already inhabited, as evidenced by archaeological finds.
In the historic center of the city, you can see many buildings in the colonial Spanish and Andalusian style. One example of such buildings is the monastery of Santa Catalina, founded in the 16th century.
Santa Maria del Mar
A seaside resort near the capital of Peru. Beaches, pools, parks, tennis courts - there is everything for a perfect holiday. Surfers love this place as the sea is known for its unpredictable nature. But those who are far from surfing can have a great time at this famous resort!
Titicaca
Lake Titicaca
A freshwater lake located on the very border of Peru with Bolivia. About three hundred rivers flow into this huge reservoir (yes!), Originating in glaciers. One of the features of the lake is floating reed islands.
Recently, at the bottom of the reservoir, archaeologists have found the remains of an ancient city - a wall, a pavement and a stone sculpture (in the form of a human head).
Rio Abiseo
National Park located in the San Martin region. It is famous for its incredible natural beauty. There are also several dozen archaeological sites here. The finds made on them are dated to the pre-Columbian period.
The flora and fauna of the national park are diverse. The yellow-tailed woolly monkey lives here: this species of primates was recently considered extinct, today it is recognized as very rare, and is under threat of extinction.
Huascarn
A national park that attracts climbers from all over the world. Named after the highest mountain peak in the country. Lovers of mountain biking, skiing and hiking among the stunning natural beauty will find exactly what they are looking for here. The expectations of history lovers will also come true: archaeologists have made interesting finds of the pre-Columbian period on the territory of the park.
Colca Canyon
Colca Canyon
One of the largest and most picturesque canyons on the planet. The river of the same name runs along the bottom of it, as if specially created for lovers of rafting. But tourists are attracted here not only by the amazing views, the rapid flow of the river and the terraces on the slopes of the canyon, created by ancient farmers. Here you can watch the flight of condors - amazing birds, whose wingspan sometimes exceeds 3 meters. Anyone who is lucky enough to see a condor soaring in height will never forget this sight. Special observation platforms have been created for bird watching in the canyon.
Inca roads
One of the main attractions of Peru is the cobbled roads laid by the ancient Indians. They stretch across the plains and mountains, climb the rocks in steps, and cross the gorges with hinged bridges. Once upon a time on the sides of these roads there were inns, located at an equal distance from each other.
Road construction ceased in the 16th century with the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. The Spaniards, not possessing the technologies known to the Indians, could not continue construction and were not even able to repair the road surface.
Today, tourists from all over the world strive to see these amazing roads - the legacy of a mysterious ancient civilization.
