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Only a few kilometers north of Trujillo is the beautiful Chimu site of the Temple of the Rainbow, or as it is also known, the Temple of the Dragon. The latter appellation arises from the long-bodied dragon which is the central figure on many of the restored friezes on the structure. A huge amount of restoration work has been done on the friezes due to damage caused by flooding and rain during the 1983 el Niņo event. What is left of the original frieze work can be distinguished from the reconstructions by their much softer and eroded outlines. The images on this page are primarily of the reconstructions since the latter were also the best located for photography in the strong sun light. In fact, we were lucky to get the bold shadows that defined the stark geometry of the entire structure. Up until a short time before our visit, the entire edifice was roofed over with large mats of woven sugar cane leaves to protect the mud and adobe from further damage from el Niņo rains. Our guide informed us that in the course of a rather raucous fiesta complete with fireworks, the woven mats were set ablaze and quickly collapsed into little heaps of ash, many of which were visible on the ground and in corners where they had been swept. Most of the supporting structure was then removed for safety reasons. The remains of the supports can still be seen sticking up from the tops of the walls in the above photographs. Thus, images such as the shadow of the ladder on the wall would have been impossible a few months earlier. Walking along the tops of the walls, we could look down into large rooms whose only access was over the walls. A likely explanation is that these were used as storerooms. Our guide suggested to us the more exotic possibility that these were the rooms in which young virgins were held for the edification of the priests and other nobles. Web sites:
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