George & Eve DeLange

Pachacamac: We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for information they have provided concerning Pachacamac. The temple of Pachacamac is an archaeological site 40 km southeast of Lima, Peru in the Valley of the Lur�n River. Most of the common buildings and temples were built c. 800-1450 CE, shortly before the arrival and conquest by the Inca Empire. To date, several pyramids have been uncovered; archaeologists have identified at least 17 pyramids (many of them irreversibly damaged by the El Ni�o weather phenomenon). Besides pyramids, the site had a cemetery and multicolored fresco of fish from the Early Intermediate period (c. 200-600 CE). Later, the Huari (c. 600-800 CE) constructed the city, probably using it as an administrative center. A number of Huari-influenced designs appear on the structures and on the ceramics and textiles found in the cemeteries of this period. After the collapse of the Huari empire, Pachacamac continued to grow as a religious center. The majority of the common architecture and temples were built during this stage (c. 800-1450 CE). By the time the Tawantinsuyu (Inca Confederacy} invaded the area, the valleys of the R�mac and Lur�n had a small state which they called Ichma., They used Pachacamac primarily as a religious site for the veneration of the Pacha Kamaq, the creator god. The Ichma joined the Incan Empire, which used Pachacamac as an important administrative center. The Inca maintained it as a religious shrine and allowed the Pachacamac priests to continue functioning independently of the Inca priesthood. This included the oracle, whom the Inca presumably consulted. The Inca built five additional buildings, including a temple to the sun on the main square. Pacha Kamaq ('Earth-Maker') was considered the creator god by the peoples who lived in this part of Peru before the Inca conquest. The Inca took him into their pantheon, but considered him as a lesser rival of Viracocha, their creator god. The myths that survive of Pacha Kamaq are sparse and confused: some accounts, for example, identify him as Manco Capac's cowardly brother Ayca, while others say that he, Manco Capac and Viracocha were the sole three sons of Inti, the sun god. Another story says that he made the first man and the first woman, but forgot to give them food � and when the man died and the woman prayed over Pachacamac's head to his father Inti to make her the mother of all the peoples of earth, Pachacamac was furious. One by one, as the children were born, he tried to kill them � only to be beaten and to be thrown into the sea by her hero-son Wichama, after which he gave up the struggle and contented himself by becoming the supreme god of fish. We visited Pachacamac on April 04, 2011 at about 10.24 AM.

The Jorge Ch�vez International Airport (IATA: LIM, ICAO: SPIM), known as Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Ch�vez in Spanish, is Peru's main international and domestic airport. It is located in Callao, 11 kilometers (7 mi) from the Historic Centre of Lima and 17 km (11 mi) from Miraflores. Callao is the port city which is now fully integrated with Lima, the nation's capital. There are several Guided Tour Agencies offering standard city, Hiking, and archaeological tours of Pachacamac, Lima and the surrounding area. We suggest Flying into Lima and then going to the surrounding areas of your choice. This page is for information purposes only and while we have made every effort to be accurate, it is the travelers responsibility to make the appropriate choice as to which hotels to use in Peru. We found that when touring Peru, Magical Cusco Tours gave us the best service of all. They even arranged very personal tours based upon our ages and experience. They were there for us whenever we needed them. Click on any of their links on our pages and they will give you a 4% discount for taking their package tours. Mention delange.org. Merchant Code Inka2010 for your discount! We suggest letting Ana Maria handle your tour. Note: The 4% discount applies to package tours only! Discount does not apply to hotel bookings, domestic or international tickets, meals or any other service booked as a single activity. Magical Cusco Tours also has a culinary tour that you may enjoy.Click Here For: Taste Of Peru.com their culinary tour page. We also have links to Priceline.Com on our pages, in case you may prefer to use their services.