According to legend, the first man and woman on earth had nothing to eat. The man died, but the woman was impregnated by the Sun and gave birth to a son, the Light. Jealous of the attention given her son, Pachacámac, the god of fire and earthquakes, a very powerful huaca that controlled the balance of the World, killed the child and scattered his remains. From those remains grew the essential foodstuffs: corn, yucca and other fruits and vegetables.

The site near Lima is considered one of the most important religious centers of the indigenous peoples of the central Andes. It contains a number of pyramids and buildings begun around 200 AD and later adapted by the Incas.

Read about the Art and Culture of Lima.

Photos displayed with the kind permission of Katie Duran