The main city is Chicalyo, though we stayed in the pretty, nearby town of Lambayeque.
Located on the northern coast of Peru, it is an agricultural area, mainly featuring sugar cane and rice production.
But Lambayeque is mostly famous for its archeological sites from the pre-Columbian Sipan and Sican cultures.
Remarkable treasures have been found from both of these cultures, housed in several museums. The most stunning of these is the new Senor de Sipan museum, which is worth seeing both for its collection and the excellent way in which it is presented.
The Senor de Sipan museum in Lambayeque was one of our primary destinations. It is designed in the form of a pre-Columbian pyramid. You enter from the top level and work your way down in the same order in which the archeologists discovered the treasures. The artifacts and story of their find are beautifully presented. It's a world-class museum, but as they don't allow photos inside, you'll have to take my word for it.
The town of Lambayeque is jolly and busy, and it features a pretty colonial center.
We stayed in a very pretty hotel, located in a colonial mansion. It had an excellent pool, which was a welcome relief after hot days of visiting sites. Our room also had a big terrace, from which we could enjoy the bright blue skies and view of the cathedral towers.
Mototaxis are one of the best forms of transportation in Peruvian towns.
Valerie's mother thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
This colonial house in Lambayeque is said to have the longest balcony in Peru (or according to some sources, in all of South America).You can visit the inside, which is very prettily restored.
View from the long balcony.
This tree is an algorrobal (type of locust) located in the Bosque de Pomac and said to be over 1,000 years old. The bosque, located 50 km NE of Lambayeque, is technically a "super arid tropical desert forest." 
A view of the Bosque de Pomac from a hilly overlook. The bosque is a surprising sight in the middle of a desert region, even if it is a dry forest.
In the background, you can see two pyramids. The one on the right is where they discoved the Senor de Sipan treasures.
Addison at the overlook after a hot climb.
This is at Tucume, a site filled with pyramids, which was previously excavated by Thor Hyerdal.
Tucume pyramids
Valerie, still smiling in spite of the heat.
This is a typical dish from the region, which features dried beef, lots of onions, and "cancha" a type of fried corn kernal that tastes like popcorn and is equally addictive.
This is a little beach town just west of Chiclayo, which features the reed boats you find in the area, known as "caballitos" or little horses.
The boats are used for fishing and feature their fresh catch of the morning.
This is a fisherman returning on his caballito.
Little boys with their mini versions of caballitos used like boogey boards.
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