The Lord of Sipán ruled Peru’s northern coast in the 3rd century and was almost lost to looters in the 1980s. The artifacts are amazing and the museum is absolutely worth 2-3 hours on any visit to Chiclayo.

In 1987 Peruvian archeologist Walter Alva and his team followed rumors of looting to Huaca Rajada, near Chiclayo and found huge holes where ancient artifacts had already been stolen and sold on the black market.

The bracelet above was made with beads of gold from Peru, red Spondylus shells from Ecuador, turquoise from Colombia and lapis lazuli from Chile, showing how the Lord of Sipán’s power and trade network stretches beyond present-day Peru.

The looters had been less than a meter, just a couple feet, from breaking into the tomb of the Lord of Sipán. At the time it was the most intact and most lavish tomb found in South America, with riches rivaling the ancient Egyptians.