The Lost City of Huayuri (Day 1570)
Tuesday, January 20, 2026:
This morning, I got up early, leaving the tent at 05:55am. I bicycled the rocky path up into the hidden valley where the archaeological site of the ancient citadel of Huayuri lies.
It is thought that Huayuri is about 1000 years old, first having been settled in the Late Intermediate period of Peruvian history as the region gradually became more humid, allowing for agricultural settlements to develop.
Having seen the satellite images of Huayuri from above a few days ago, I knew more or less what to expect: hundreds of stone outlines of the old walls of dwellings that have long since crumbled. But little prepared me for the expansive view of the ruins lying before me as I rounded a bend in the canyon. The sheer scale of the site boggles the mind.
I walked along an existing path that weaves between the ruins and leads to a few viewpoints from which to better observe the site. As ever, I am surprised by the lack of study and care for places like these in Peru. There are millions of shards of pottery right on the surface and in gigantic mounds, there are fragments of textiles and human bones protruding from the hillside. The citadel ought to be cared for, preserved, and studied. The fragments should be unearthed and reassembled for display in a museum. Perhaps if more thought were given this place, more people would stop in these villages on the way to the Nazca Lines. Instead, it seems to have been forgotten and allowed to continue to deteriorate.
Finding pottery like this feels special, but also forbidden. Never before have I been more tempted to take a couple pieces with me: out of the millions of fragments here, no one would notice the difference. But, I stand on principle: I believe these pieces should be in a museum, not in a private collection. And from what little I know about professional archaeology, I know not to move pieces from where they are found. Doing so irreparably destroys the information that can be recovered from them. Archaeologists use the level in the strata to help determine the age and the location to help determine the use of the artifact. As such, I overcame the little devil behind my ear and returned the pieces as I had found them, content to remember them from the photos I had taken.
Few people have been here. I feel rather privileged to have gotten to see it for myself. I left leaving only footprints.
I returned to our tent and helped pack for the day ahead. We bicycled back to the 3 Garbonzo Beans restaurant for breakfast and spent many hours relaxing together. Today should be a break day. H is feeling terribly spent and needs time to recover from her aches and pains.
