🌍 Pachacamac

About This Sacred Site

Pachacamac, located on the Pacific coast just south of Lima, was the most important oracle and pilgrimage center in pre-Columbian South America. For over 1,500 years, pilgrims from across the Andes traveled here to consult the oracle of Pachacamac, the creator god who was believed to cause earthquakes with his movements. The site was sacred to successive civilizations including the Lima, Wari, Ichma, and Inca cultures. The Incas built the Temple of the Sun on the highest point, while the ancient Painted Temple with its vivid murals predates them by centuries. When the Spanish arrived, they were amazed to find a thriving pilgrimage center rivaling any in the Old World.

Key Facts

• •The most important oracle in pre-Columbian South America for over 1,500 years
• •The god Pachacamac was believed to cause earthquakes and control creation
• •Sacred to successive civilizations: Lima, Wari, Ichma, and Inca cultures
• •The Painted Temple contains vivid murals from the 3rd century CE
• •Spanish conquistador Hernando Pizarro looted the oracle chamber in 1533

Location

Coordinates: -12.2569, -76.9000