This small Wari ruin about 8km north of Huaraz is remarkably well preserved, dating from about AD 600 to 900. It’s an imitation of the temple at Chavín done in the Tiwanaku style (square temples on raised platforms). Wilkahuaín means ‘grandson’s house’ in Quechua. The three-story temple has seven rooms on each floor, each originally filled with bundles of mummies. The bodies were kept dry using a sophisticated system of ventilation ducts. A one-room museum gives some basic background information in English and Spanish.
To get here by foot take a taxi to 'El Pinar' (S7) from where there are two paths leading to the ruins – a direct route via the main road (6km) or a longer but more scenic route via Marian. Alternatively, a taxi direct to the ruins will set you back around S25.
There are actually two sets of ruins. Buy your ticket at the lower complex. It's a 10-minute walk along a dirt road to the smaller second complex (Wilkahuaín Pequeno).
Avoid taking the path from the ruins down to the baths at Monterrey as robberies have been reported on this stretch.
