Pachacamac

a little way to the south of Lima in the Lurín Valley lie the ruins of Pachacamac, a site layered with pre-Colombian history. the ruins lay claim to Moche and Nazca as well as Huari and Inca heritage. the site is a fine reminder of the Peruvian desert, dust stretching along the coast and well inland, a far cry from the mountains and jungles. next to Pachacamac is a settlement: I wasn't close enough to make out much, except that it rose out of the dust abruptly. were it not for the armed guards who patrol Pachacamac, clambering over the areas other visitors are not allowed to tred, the proximity of the settlement to the ruins suggested almost that it was part of the ruins, an extension of Pachacamac. whilst I watched explosions were going off in the little settlement, celebratory reminders that people were living among the ruins, here tucked away on the edge of Lima, almost in defiance of the name given to the little town: Julio César Tello and Julio César Tello II. the guard was impassive, protecting what was already ruined.