Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge
Sicán (Lambayeque 1100) to Chimú (1350) to Inca 1470 layer cake with 26 pyramids (1100–1532 CE) 220 ha·Sicán → Chimú → Inca successive on Cerro La Raya ridge temple of stone 12 m high sacred·🇵🇪 Lambayeque, Tucume, La Raya plain, near Tucume town, 1.4 km sacral mountain Cerro La Raya 12 km from Pátapo, Peru
About
About Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge
Tucume excavated by Thor Heyerdahl 1988 Kon-Tiki, 220 ha 26 pyramids Heyerdahl. Recorded context — Period: Sicán (Lambayeque 1100) to Chimú (1350) to Inca 1470 layer cake with 26 pyramids (1100–1532 CE) 220 ha; Culture: Sicán → Chimú → Inca successive on Cerro La Raya ridge temple of stone 12 m high sacred; Field status: excavated; Materials: adobe, Cerro La Raya stone; Condition: preserved — partially sand-buried.
Why it mattersKey Sicán → Chimú → Inca successive on Cerro La Raya ridge temple of stone 12 m high sacred pyramid with stratified sequence and regional typology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Trade network extent
- 02Construction labor organization
Theories
- 01Seasonal gathering
- 02Observatory
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 1100 CE Sicán first pyramids; 1350 Chimú; 1470 Inca temple Stone 1470
- Period
- Sicán (Lambayeque 1100) to Chimú (1350) to Inca 1470 layer cake with 26 pyramids (1100–1532 CE) 220 ha
- Culture
- Sicán → Chimú → Inca successive on Cerro La Raya ridge temple of stone 12 m high sacred
- Purpose
- Ridge city with 26 adobe pyramids (10–42 m high) along 700 m Cerro La Raya — Sicán-Chimú-Inca superposed metropolis 220 ha over mountain 1 km long
- Rediscovered
- Modern excavation 1907
- Excavation
- Excavated
1920 excavation
Modern rediscovery and scientific excavation of Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge
c. 1200 CE major extension
Major expansion / refurbishment at Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge
On the ground
Structures & features
6.5110° S · 79.8420° W · 70 m · 3 mapped features
- Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge — Principal Pyramidpyramidpyramid at Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge — outlier feature6.5117° S · 79.8436° W
- Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge — Northern Chamberchamberchamber at Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge — primary structure6.5107° S · 79.8412° W
- Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge — Southern Causewaycausewaycauseway at Tucume — Templo de la Piedra Sagrada and 26 Pyramid Ridge — primary structure6.5100° S · 79.8413° W
Gallery