The Chincha archaeological ruins of La Centinela are the main attraction in the area. These are extensive and relatively well preserved and the Huaca was an important temple to the Chincha god, Chincha Kamak. The temple was the site of the battle where the Incas conquered the Chinchas, besieging the people inside for several months until they surrendered. There are plenty of other archaeological sites in the area, although these are not very well preserved. There is no tourist infrastructure in Chincha, so visits to La Centinela must be organised privately. The ruins are 2km from Chincha Baja.
Another interesting attraction near Chincha is the Hacienda San José, now a hotel. The hacienda dates from the late 17 th century, and its history is full of slave revolts and murders. There are catacombs below the house (guided tour possible) which are said to have reached the beach in the past, and were used to hide from pirates and to smuggle slaves. The catacombs now do not extend as far, but are still interesting to visit. To get to the Hacienda either take a taxi or catch a combi heading to El Carmen from Av. Benavides, 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas. This takes half an hour.
In the UK in 1957, a normally serious documentary series, Panorama, broadcast a programme about how pasta was grown on trees in southern Switzerland . This showed peasant women collecting spaghetti from the branches of the pasta tree. Not knowing any better in a less international age, and not realising that the date of the show was April 1, all-fools day, many Britons accepted that this was the origin of pasta. Visitors to the Peruvian coast seeing cotton plantations for the first time may believe that a similar trick is being pulled on them. It appears as if balls of cotton wool have been glued to the plants. Of course, the balls are actually natural, and cotton does grow like this. For anyone who has never seen a cotton plant before, it is well worth stopping near a plantation and having a look. The whole of the coast is littered with cotton plantations, and Peruvian Pima cotton is among the best in the world.
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