CHICLAYO, LAND OF THE LORD OF SIPAN

Altitude:		29 m (95 ft) above sea level
Area:		3,288 sq km (1,270 sq mi)
Population:		757,452 (2007)
Access routes:		Air and land
Climate:		Sunny all year (80º-60ºF/26º-15ºC)

Chiclayo is a commercial town surrounded by sugar and rice plantations in the fertile valley of the rivers Reque, Moche and Lambayeque.  It has adobe pre-Inca pyramid temples, called "huacas", which are waiting to be rediscovered and restored.  Chiclayo became famous in 1987, when the archaeologist Dr. Walter Alva opened the Tomb of the Lord of Sipán with all its gold, silver and copper jewelry. About 40 kms/25 miles north of the town, the adobe pyramid complex of Túcume holds a temple of over 400 m/1,320 feet in length, where the Kon Tiki Foundation of Oslo with Thor Heyerdahl, is making excavations.  The Brüning Museum in Lambayeque offers a good all-round view of the Mochica and Chimu cultures.