Chavín de Huántar is one of the great pre-Columbian archaeological sites of South America, a ceremonial complex built around 900 BC and used for centuries. It served as the religious centre of the Chavín culture, whose influence reached from the coast to the high Andes.
The above-ground structures include a sunken circular plaza, stone-faced platforms, and carved heads that once projected from the temple walls. The underground galleries are the real draw: precisely cut stone corridors and chambers that have survived earthquakes, floods, and a very long Andean memory.