I lived in Perú for a while on a study abroad/student exchange program and can confirm – you can’t swing a cat in Perú without hitting some archeological wonder, and it’s not just Lima. I spent some time in the northern deserts, up near Chiclayo and Lambayeque, and visited so many fantastic Moche sites that they almost started to get boring by the end.
What stuck with me the most, however, as walking through the sand dunes and literally tripping over ancient pottery that was just sitting in the sand, partially exposed. Ceramics were everywhere, and it was otherwise untouched but also unprotected. Absolutely blew my mind as an American to whom anything older than 200 years feels ancient and rare.
Wonderful country, Perú. I highly recommend a visit to anyone who has the opportunity to go. There’s so much more than Machu Picchu (although that site is a stunning must-see, ofc).
That’s wonderful! Whereabouts are you traveling, if you don’t mind me asking? I was mostly in the north around Trujillo, but I spent a couple weeks in Lima once, and a month in and around Cusco when I made the trek to Aguas Calientes, then Machu Picchu.
I’ve been itching to get back to Perú ever since!