Complejo Arqueológico Mateo Salado
An Ichma administrative and ceremonial center of more than 16 hectares, with five stepped rammed-earth pyramids, right in the Cercado de Lima and steps from Plaza de la Bandera.
Opening hours
Hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Closed
- Wednesday
- 09:00–16:00
- Thursday
- 09:00–16:00
- Friday
- 09:00–16:00
- Saturday
- 09:00–16:00
- Sunday
- 09:00–16:00
Tickets
Entry S/ 10
Free days
- First Sunday of every monthSource · checked on 9 Oct
Location
Complejo Arqueológico Mateo Salado
Av. Mariano H. Cornejo cuadras 12 y 13, Cercado de Lima (junto a la Plaza de la Bandera)
About Complejo Arqueológico Mateo Salado
The Mateo Salado Archaeological Complex occupies blocks 12 and 13 of Avenida Mariano H. Cornejo, in the Cercado de Lima, on the border with Pueblo Libre and Breña; it is run by the Ministry of Culture, which opened it to the public in 2014. According to the Ministry, it was an administrative and ceremonial center built by the Ichma (1100–1450 AD) and reoccupied by the Incas, with five stepped rammed-earth pyramids and walled roads; between 2007 and 2013 three of them were researched and restored for visitors, and Pyramid A reaches the highest point of the complex. The name comes from Matheus Salade, a Frenchman who lived there as a hermit in the 16th century. Our take: it is the most direct way to see monumental pre-Hispanic architecture without leaving central Lima, and the scale of the pyramids amid the traffic is part of the experience. It opens Wednesday to Sunday; Google lists 9:00 to 16:00 and the official account has posted visiting hours of 9:00 to 15:30, so it is best to arrive early. Admission is S/ 10 for adults, S/ 5 for teachers, higher-education students and seniors, and S/ 1 for minors aged 3 to 17. It is free on the first Sunday of every month through the Ministry of Culture's Museos Abiertos program. Curation note: the domain Google lists as the site's website no longer belongs to the complex, and the hours and prices come from the official Instagram account and Google, not from an institutional page.