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Ancient Ritual Objects Lab Experience
Huanchaco, Peru

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Exclusive Small Group Archaeology Vacation with Ancient Odysseys®

Group Size: Max 15​

Ages: 25+

from  $TBD

Participation is subject to availability and is at the full discretion of the dig location. Prices and dates dates subject to change. Terms & Conditions apply.

About The Huanchaco Archaeology Program in Peru

Northern Peru and the area around Huanchaco has been occupied for more than 3,500 years. Recently, this area has been receiving worldwide attention with articles in National Geographic and , Archeology Magazine about the Chimú culture sacrificial sites and that provide a picture of the history and prehistory of Peru.

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This area was also the home of the ancient Moche and Chimú people who lived around Huanchaco from A.D. 500 up to the Spanish conquest. Archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer Gabriel Prieto has been instrumental in working in Huanchaco to bring an understanding to the lives and rituals of these ancient cultures. At the Chimú site of Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, he discovered the 500-year-old remains of 200 llamas and 140 children, the victims of a mass ritual sacrifice, the largest of its kind known in the Americas and possibly in the ancient world.

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The priceless and important artifacts found at the sites of Jose Olaya and Pampa La Cruz, a ceremonial center and fishing village respectively, dating from 1100 BC to AD 650 have well-preserved households, tombs, and trash middens, containing pottery, basketry, textiles, metal objects, and stone, bone, and wood tools. Organic remains, such as bone, shell, and plant remains are abundant and well preserved because of the dry climate.

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How you will make an impact during your time in the archaeology lab

The Huanchaco Archaeological Program has excavated an extraordinary amount of material and is in urgent need of your help to preserve materials that date back over 3,000 years. You will help conserve these artifacts, under the guidance of qualified archaeologists. Your hands-on work is crucial to scientific research to understand the big picture of how ancient societies worked, including clues about social status, class, and economic relationships. Your work will also add to the understanding of the impact of climate change on the fisheries and marine resources between 1500 BC and AD 1650 in the Huanchaco area. This work is also important for the modern Huanchaco coastal community, where there is a desire to study and protect these sites that are being destroyed by looting, and urban expansion.

Archaeology Work

July 14-20, 2025 | Arrival in Huanchaco + Welcome

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You'll board a flight in Lima for the 1 hour flight to Trujillo, Upon arrival, your driver will transfer you to the Hotel Bracamonte, which will be your accommodations for the duration of your stay in the Huanchaco/Trujillo area. The hotel is located in the center of the Huanchaco’s Balneario, home of the area's best surfing waves! Huanchaco straddles the past and the present, as the local fishermen are  descendants of the Mochica people, about whose culture and rituals you'll be directly involved in investigating as you work on the archaeological artifacts that have been found at the numerous archaeological sites in Huandhaco. 

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You're welcome to join your companions and Dr. Prieto a Welcome Dinner at Big Ben for traditional Peruvian cuisine before settling in for the night. Tomorrow starts the real adventure!

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Daily Accommodations: Bracamonte Hotel Double Occupancy​.

Meals: Breakfasts included daily, most lunches and dinners are  on your own

Welcome and Farewell Meals are included for the group. Farewell dinner is at Zhenia or comparable. 

 What to Expect | Archaeology Labwork and Fieldtrips

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Working with the thousands of priceless archaeological artifacts of the Moche and Chimú people who lived in Huanchaco are the focus of the artifact analysis and preventive conservation work which is done in Dr. Prieto's Archaeology lab at the University of Trujillo. 

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In your 4 days of labwork, you will learn how to analyze artifacts from prehistoric households and human remains from burials by: 

  • Clean, label, describe, conserve and photograph human remains and archaeological artifacts such as textiles, ceramic vessels and fragments, metal objects, and organic materials such as carved bones, wood and gourds

  • All the artifacts you work on will be stored at the Laboratory of Archaeology and Conservation at the University of Trujillo, under the permits of the Ministry of Culture in Peru.

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During the week, you'll also accompany Dr. Prieto to tour two of Northern Peru's most important archaeological sites called Chan Chan Archaeological Site and Chicama Valley and Huaca Cao Site â€‹

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Additional activities included in the itinerary are:

  • City Tour of Trujillo
    City of Everlasting SpringYou'll wander the beautiful streets of Trujillo and you learn about the city's history 

  • Peruvian Paso and Marinera show
    One evening, you will join the group to experience a Paso horse and Marinera show, which is the national dance of Peru. The graceful sideways paso llano gait of the horses highlights the majesty and harmony of their trot.

  • Caballito de Totora tour and ride
    Along the beaches in Huanchaco, you’ll spot fishermen riding a reed watercraft called the totora. These vessels were used by the Moche and people over 3000 years and they are still used today by fishermen to transport their daily catches back to shore. Local craftsmen and fishermen will share  how these vessels have been built and—more exciting—you’ll take a ride in a caballito yourself!

  • Ceviche Cooking Class
    One evening, you'll get hands on with the freshest seafood during a ceviche cooking class! Ceviche is the national dish of Peru and is said to have originated over 2000 years ago right here in Huanchaco on the Pacific coast.​​

 About the Archaeological Sites | Additional Reading

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Dr. Prieto will be your guide for an immersion into the archaeological history of Huanchaco and illuminate how many of the traditions of the past have continued on into the present. 

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About Chan Chan and Huecas de Moche

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chan Chan is the world’s largest adobe city and was the capital of the Chimu people (A.D. 900 to 1470), who controlled the north coast from Lima to the Ecuadorian border, until the Inca conquest. Chan Chan has pyramidal temples, houses, reservoirs and funerary platforms, many of which have been decorated by elaborate relief patterns including arabesques and ocean-based designs such as fish, birds and waves. Many incredible artifacts have been found here, including fine textiles and gold, silver, and copper objects; a polished blade pottery was mold-made and produced according to standardized designs.

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About Chicama Valley, El Brujo and Huaca Cao

El Brujo is ritual and funerary complex consisting of three pyramids (huacas) that date from the Mochica and Sican cultures which exixted between AD 100 and AD 800 in and around Trujillo. These temples, built entirely of adobe bricks, are richly decorated. Archaeologists have found finely crafted jewelry and ceramics.

Of the three huacas at the site, Huaca Cao Viejo is the most well known. Famous for its polychrome reliefs and mural paintings, it was at this site that archaeologists unearthed a 1,500 year old tattooed female mummy named  Señora de Cao, She was found wrapped in a cotton funerary bundle with pieces of gold and jewellery, indicating her high status. The tomb of the Lady of Cao is the first evidence of the burial of a female biological character of the Moche elite inside a temple of the same era. 

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Publications

 

 Videos

What to Bring

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Labwork will be conducted indoors at the University of Trujillo.

However, there are fieldtrips and free time where you will be able to enjoy the activities of the surfing town of Huanchaco. Peruvian North Coastal weather can be variable. Temperatures average about 55 - 68 F. Bring appropriate clothing for high UV exposure Stomach sickness is common, so be prepared and bring medicine.

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  1. A sun hat and/or a hat with a wide brim

  2. Sun cream which is suited to your skin. We advise factor 30+

  3. Proof of health and travel insurance are required by each participant.

July 6, 2025 | Departure

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This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we'll bid farewell as our time in Huanchaco has come to an end. You'll be transported to the airport where you can continue your adventures with a pre- or post-itinerary!

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Join a trip to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and Cuzco, the Nazca Lines and beyond! Contact us to discuss a customized pre- or post-trip itinerary. 

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Meals: Breakfast

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An interview with Gabriel Prieto | Department of Anthropology, University of Florida | National Geographic Explorer

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1.  What makes this site significant?​

When we discovered the 500-year-old Chimú site of Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, we realized this was the largest Child Sacrifice Mass Burial in the Ancient World where the remains of 200 llamas and 140 children were found. The careful postmortem treatment of the bodies showed us that they weren’t simply discarded.  

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The area in and around Huanchaco is incredibly important in Peru as we’ve found cultural and historical continuity from at 3500 years ago.

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2.  What has been most surprising about your discoveries in Huanchaco?

Excavation work in Huanchaco has led to many surprises, but by far the world has been captivated by the discovery that this was the location of the largest child sacrifice burial in the world. In the region, we’ve found more sacrifice sites spanning hundreds of years, which has led to the conclusion that such ceremonies were a central component of the Chimu religion.

At Pampa la Cruz, the Moche performed religious rituals in AD 500 to 750 and we were surprised to unearthed the burials of more than a dozen deep-sea creatures, including sharks, sunfish, yellowfin tuna, and Kogia whales, which are some of the rarest toothed whales in the world.


3.  What are your current research objectives at these sites?

Our work in this area adds to our understanding of the social dynamics and economic interactions of small-scale ancient societies, particularly those of coastal/maritime communities like Huanchaco as well as a deeper knowledge on ritual violence in ancient civilizations..

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4. What was the most important or rewarding find in Huanchaco?​

Huanchaco is my hometown, so it’s been rewarding to reconstruct its forgotten history and to share this information with present-day community members. There is a desire to study and protect these sites that are being destroyed by looting and urban expansion. It’s also been incredible to play a part in the training future generations of archaeologists.

tri cost
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Includes:

  • All tools for archaeological labwork are provided, along with dedicated on-site training, instruction, and supervision.

  • The cost of the experience includes funds to support the archaeological fieldwork and research

  • 7 nights in Huanchaco

  • Breakfast each day

  • Lunches and dinners as mentioned

  • Excursions  and entries to  Chan Chan and Chicacma Valley 

  • Trujillo City Tour, Peruvian Paso and Marinera Show, Caballitos de Totora tour and ride, Ceviche cooking class

 

Excludes:​

  • International airfare

  • Meals not mentioned

  • Other activities not mentioned

  • Travel Insurance is mandatory  

  • All other travel necessities /valid passports and visas, for travel from point of original departure through to the final destination are strictly the responsibility of the traveller.  

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6 days/7 nights

July 13-20, 2025

 From:

$x

  • Pricing is based on an 5-guest minimum, double-occupancy.

  • Single occupancy is an additional $100

  • Cancellations will incur a fee

  • Travel logistics managed by Be Peru

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