June 10 - Lord of Sipan - museums and Sipan site

 We stayed in the Hotel Paraiso near the center of town and were pleased that the dogs we left behind in Huaraz did not travel to Chiclayo to keep us awake at night.
This is the cathedral in the center of town.

This is the tomb of the Lord of Sipan with the real skeletons and artefacts removed and replaced with imitations but in exactly the positioning in which they were uncovered in 1987. The Lord was decorated in gold and shell finery and symbols of his rank. His lower face was hidden behind a nose ring which covered his mouth and and his upper face, with a silver mask. Accompanying him to the after world were one wife, 2 concubines, his chief general, his chief priest, a small boy, several llamas and a dog as well as a guard whose feet had been cut off to keep him from running away.

In additional to the skeletons and gold and silver finery, the tomb was filled with ceramic representations like the owl, for intelligence, as well as hundreds of ceramics filled with food and drink for the trip to the after life. The Lord was found at 6 meters below the surface of the piramid. The "old man" whose tomb was found at 10 meter was found near by. According to DNA, he was the Lord´s grandfather and was buried some years before the Lord.

The "old man" seems to have had more modest taste and was buried with only his wife plus the recipients for the trip to the after life.

How the Lord might have looked all dolled up.

Nose and ear rings found in the tomb.

His gold mask.

Gold shirt.

Fabulous new museum in Lambeyeque inaugurated in 2008, housing the Lord of Sipan´s original treasures.

Our two explorers outside the museum.