Also called the Dragon Temple (Huaca El Dragón), this is the best-preserved Chimú ceremonial mound in the Trujillo area. The outer walls carry striking rainbow and serpent friezes that have survived remarkably well. It sits a few kilometres north-east of Chan Chan and is included in the entry ticket.
Huaca Arco Iris
Best-preserved Chimú ceremonial mound with rainbow and serpent friezes
A story
The name — Rainbow Temple — comes from the repeated rainbow-shaped friezes that wrap around the outer walls. Each arch frames a pair of figures, possibly priests or mythological beings, in a design unlike anything else on the Peruvian coast.