Mateo Salado Archaeological Complex

The Qhapaq Ñan – National Headquarters, through the Mateo Salado Comprehensive Project (PIMS), is in charge of the administration of the archaeological monument.

For the optimal development of its purposes, the PIMS is organized into three work components (research, conservation and sociocultural) and an administrative area.

Mateo Salado Archaeological Complex

Mateo Salado is one of the most important archaeological complexes in Lima due to its monumentality and extension of almost 17 hectares. It is located in the district of Lima, on the border of Breña and Pueblo Libre, 15 minutes from the city's Plaza Mayor.

The archaeological complex owes its name to the Frenchman Matheus Saladé, a Lutheran who lived there as a hermit until he was arrested by the Holy Inquisition, declared a heretic and executed at the stake in 1573.

Location

The Mateo Salado archaeological complex is located in Cercado de Lima, adjacent to the districts of Pueblo Libre and Breña. It covers an area of 16.4 hectares, divided into three sectors that are surrounded by modern urbanizations. Originally, it was an administrative-ceremonial center built by the Ichma (1100 – 1450 AD) and reoccupied by the Incas (1450 – 1532 AD). It receives its name from the Frenchman Matheus Salade, who arrived from Europe in the 16th century and resided as a hermit in the archaeological complex. He was accused of being a Lutheran heretic by the Holy Inquisition, being sentenced to death and executed at the stake in 1573.

Recovery of the Mateo Salado Archaeological Complex

The Ministry of Culture began the recovery of the Mateo Salado archaeological complex in 2007. From that date until 2013, three of its five pyramids were intervened, through research, conservation-restoration and authorization for visits. With this, 35% of the total area of the archaeological complex has been valued. Research has been clarifying the particularities of the Ichma society in the lower Rímac valley and its transformation with the Inca presence. Conservation has been oriented to the analysis, development and application of its own techniques to solve the deterioration of architectural structures. The restoration has sought to give the visitor a reading of the site that is understandable, enjoyable and scientifically based; observing criteria of authenticity and minimal intervention. The authorization for visits allows a tour of the interior of the pyramids, which results in a greater understanding of the visitor with the monument.

Since 2010, a community management program has been carried out that constantly offers artistic, cultural and educational activities with free admission, with the support of different promoters and cultural associations in Lima. The aim is to encourage social appropriation of the monument by the population, and promote values and experiences that strengthen citizenship as a condition for achieving sustainable local development.

As of March 2014, Mateo Salado opened its doors to the public, serving visitors from Wednesday to Sunday from 9 am to 4 pm.

What to see at the Mateo Salado Archaeological Complex?

Likewise, Mateo Salado is made up of five truncated stepped pyramids and other smaller structures, all of them built of rammed earth. These are:

Pyramid A: It is the largest pyramid of the Mateo Salado archaeological complex and would have been its main temple. It measures 150 meters long (north-south), 182 meters wide (east-west) and reaches 18 meters high. Its main entrance is located on the north front, which is reached by a ramp or staircase that allowed access from the extensive main square of the site. At the top there are a series of large patios, characterized by having, on two sides, stairs that ascended to platforms.

Pyramid B: It is the second largest in the archaeological complex and, hypothetically, it could have been its main palace. It is a complex made up of a larger building (sector A) and a smaller one (sector B) between which there are a series of uneven enclosures (sector C) and extensive patios at the northern end (sector D). It measures 138 meters long by 146 meters wide, with an elevation of 12 meters in sector A. It has extremely particular structures and spaces, such as a large monumental staircase, a plaza with a kind of throne (which we call the “control podium”). ") and an enclosure with a ceremonial well for libation rituals.

Pyramid C: It has a quadrangular plan measuring 90 meters on each side and reaches 9 meters in height. It has not yet been subjected to archaeological excavations, so its function cannot be determined. Like Pyramid A, this pyramid has a series of large enclosures that rise in steps from north to south. In this way, the building is oriented towards the hills on the north side of Lima, as is also the case with most sectors of Pyramid B.

Pyramid D: Measures 92 meters long by 80 meters wide and about 7 meters high. It is one of the two extramural pyramids of Mateo Salado, but its function is unknown since it has not yet been subject to archaeological excavations. Unlike the intramural pyramids, which face the hills north of Lima, pyramid D and pyramid E face the sea.

Pyramid E: It has a quadrangular plan of about 50 meters on each side and reaches 7 meters high. It is the second pyramid outside the walls of Mateo Salado and, like D, it is oriented towards the sea. It would have been a small Ichma temple during the late Late Intermediate period, which was later reused as an Ichma-Inca cemetery. Remains of 53 burials from this last period have been recovered, of which only nine had been saved from being looted. Among these, a large bundle with a false head stands out. Already at the end of the 19th century, an individual was buried in this same pyramid following typical mortuary rituals of the Chinese immigrants who then worked on the haciendas of the Peruvian coast.

Walling: A walled enclosure enclosed pyramids A, B and C; discontinuous sections of the east, south and west sides of it are still preserved. The one on the south side is called the “Western Wall of Mateo Salado” and the walled path described above is attached to it. It has been excavated to its foundations, which allows us to appreciate its impressive dimensions: 5.2 meters high, with a width of 1.4 meters at the head and 2.6 meters at the base. Of the second, only a small section remains at block eleven of Mariano Cornejo Avenue. The last one is called the “Eastern Wall of Mateo Salado”, extending a distance of 62 meters and reaching a height of 4.5 meters with 0.4 meters wide at the head and 0.8 meters at the base. These walls thus have trapezoidal profiles that make them maintain their stability despite the centuries that have passed since their construction.

Walled road: It extends from northeast to southwest along the lower western part of Pyramid A. It consists of two walls that run parallel, which measure up to 5.5 meters high. Between them runs a road with a width of 3.5 meters on average. Apparently, this road had minor branches that entered Mateo Salado's buildings, such as one that branched east in the direction of Pyramid B. According to Pedro Villar Córdova (1942), Mateo Salado's walled road would have reached the current Mariano Cornejo Avenue, where it turned west to head to Maranga.

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