Huaca Huantille, Archaeological site in Magdalena del Mar, Peru.

Huaca Huantille is a stepped pyramid of the Ichma culture in Magdalena del Mar, Lima, covering 11,000 square metres, about 30 percent of its original area. In 1892 Adolph Bandelier described two stepped pyramids with large ramps attached, oriented toward the east. It was the main temple of a group of five huacas, the other four demolished in the 1940s.

Huantille was the main temple of the Ychsma (Ichma) culture, dated 900-1450 AD, and was later occupied by the Incas from 1450 to 1532. It headed a group of six monuments; Huaca I to IV, a few metres away, were demolished in the 1940s. After the Spanish arrival in 1533 the Ychsma population was reorganised into reductions such as Pachacamac and Surco from 1572.

The name Ychsma may refer to painting the face red, a colour linked to ceremonies for the local deity; red pigment could come from achiote, cinnabar, hematite or clay. The site was the main temple of a group of six huacas, of which only Huantille survives. The Ichma were organised in curacazgos led by a curaca.

The site is located within a residential neighborhood and can be explored on foot, allowing you to discover its different levels and spaces at your own pace. Wear comfortable shoes as the pathways and stairs can be uneven in places.

In 1892 the archaeologist Adolph Bandelier described the area as dozens of mounds, among which one stood out: two stepped pyramids with large ramps attached, facing east. The other four huacas of the Huantille group, recorded in the 1940s, were later demolished.