El Brujo is a series of temples built on top of each other and then covered with dirt. If you were driving or walking past it, it would have just looked like a hill. The reason Peruvians built temples on top of each other was to signify a change of government... and so that they would literally be ruling on top of their ancestors (the ancestors would be buried in the temple underneath). The temples served as the main worship area and the rulers would stay there. If you've ever seen the Mel Gibson movie Apacalypto, you will also know that the temples were used to conduct a massive amount of human sacrifices. Blood was very significant to Peruvians.
Inside the temple were intricate carvings and paintings (I also saw a mummy). However, the most interesting/spectacular thing to me was El Brujo's location. As you drive you through the coastal areas of Peru, it feels like you're on the surface of the moon. The coastal areas get about a half of inch of rain per year and there is absolutely no life... just a lot of rocks and sand (A LOT OF ROCKS!!). Every 50-100 miles though, you would come across a stripe of green that would stretch from the coast to the mountains. This stripe of green is where the rivers would come down from the Andes mountain range (it was also where all the towns were). The archeological site of El Brujo is situated on a patch of desert between the ocean and a lush green area (where a river comes down). It was striking to see the contrast of desert, green farm land, and bright blue ocean in one area. These are a few photos I took from El Brujo (what you can't see is all the wind that was trying to blow sand inside my camera and face).
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