Huaca Pucllana - Lima, Peru

by Rebecca Hollman
updated May 15, 2019

Huaca Pucllana - Lima Peru

Lima is Peru’s capital and largest city. Home to roughly 9 million people, it is Peru’s largest city and the third largest city in the Americas behind São Paulo and Mexico City. Lima is a massive, sprawling city but the most popular districts are the downtown historical center, the Miraflores barrio and the Barranco barrio. Downtown is known for it’s cathedrals, historical buildings and museums, Miraflores is known for it’s fine dining and ocean views (Lima is the only western facing capital in the world on the coast), and Barranco is known for it’s street art, coffee shops and Bohemian vibes. You could easily spend weeks, hell even years, in Lima and never get bored but I’ve summarized the tops things for tourists to do in Lima here.

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Miraflores is the upscale and trendy neighborhood of Miraflores - with some of the most expensive restaurants in South America and an abundance of stuff to see. It is the most common tourist area of Lima and is therefore where most people end up staying. Miraflores is pretty spread out and you will likely need to take an Uber/taxi within Miraflores to reach the different attractions. Barranco is about 15-20 minutes away from Miraflores and the downtown historic district is about 30 minutes away from Miraflores.

History of Huaca Pucllana

Huaca Pucllana is a unique site since it is the home of ancient ruins perfectly preserved in the heart of Miraflores. Huaca Pucllana was built by the Lima people around 400 AD and was a ceremonial center as well as a site for public meetings. The name “huaca” means sacred and is found in the name of most ruins and “pucllana” is derived from the word for game, meaning this area was a place where sacred games were played in a type of ritual. The site is interesting because of its perfectly stacked clay bricks that make up the structures. Each of these bricks was made by hand and the mud was harvested from the surrounding area. The structures were built in layers over thousands of years and across multiple generations of Lima peoples, each adding on more structures. The Huaca Pucllana ruins are open Wednesday - Monday 9 AM to 5 PM (closed Tuesday). The entrance costs S/15. Half price admission also exists for children under 12 and senior citizens.