Chiclayo is a thriving commercial center near the coast, 420 mi/675 km northwest of Lima. Although Chiclayo is not oriented to leisure travelers, it's a dynamic, lively and well-functioning city. The market offers woven straw items and other handicrafts. There's also a section devoted to witches, where you can buy powders, dried animal parts and charms that purport to cure various ills.
A must-see is the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum—a first-class facility that opened in 2002. It displays the finds of the Royal Tombs of Sipan dating back to the third century AD. It's in the nearby town Lambayeque (7 mi/11 km north of Chiclayo). The Bruning Museum is also there, with many other archaeological displays.
Other day-trip possibilities include Tucume (a complex of 28 pyramids) and the Sican National Museum, which houses replicas of 39-ft-/12-m-deep tombs from the Lambayaque culture. It's located in Ferrenafe, 11 mi/18 km northeast of Chiclayo.
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