Wender·Vista
Chiclayo
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeru
on the north coast of Peru, an hour inland from the Pacific

Chiclayo

— — the desert city that fed the Moche kings.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A working capital on Peru's north coast, set in a flat green valley between dry hills and the Pacific. The streets fill early with people walking to the Mercado Modelo for herbs and amulets, and the squares hold the late afternoon heat until the sea breeze comes up. Just outside the city, the looted and then carefully excavated tombs at Sipán gave back the Lord of Sipán in 1987, one of the great undisturbed royal burials of the Americas. The city carries that history quietly, in its museums and in the patience of its mornings. from the studio

from the studio
Chiclayo
— bring it home

Chiclayo, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Chiclayo

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Chiclayo is the capital of the Lambayeque region on Peru's north coast, the fourth-largest city in the country with about 600,000 people in the metropolitan area. It sits at roughly 29 meters above sea level on a coastal desert plain, about thirteen kilometers inland from the Pacific port of Pimentel and 770 kilometers north of Lima by the Pan-American Highway. Founded as a small indigenous settlement and formally established in the sixteenth century, the city sits inside the ancient Moche and Lambayeque cultural area, which produced the metalwork and ceramics that fill the regional museums today.

— the year

The city's calendar turns on the regional festivals and the markets. The Mercado Modelo opens daily before dawn and includes a famous calle de los brujos selling herbs, talismans, and remedies used by curanderos along the north coast. Easter Week and the Cruz de Motupe pilgrimage in early August draw the largest crowds, and the King Kong de Lambayeque, a thick caramel-filled cookie named after a 1930s film, is a year-round staple in every bakery. Chiclayo is also the gateway to the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán in nearby Lambayeque town, which opened in 2002 to house the Moche royal grave goods.

— the visit

Most visitors arrive at Capitán FAP José Abelardo Quiñones airport, served by daily flights from Lima of about ninety minutes. The two essential day trips are the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán in Lambayeque, twelve kilometers north, and the Huaca Rajada archaeological site at Sipán itself, about thirty-five kilometers southeast, where the Lord of Sipán's tomb was excavated by Walter Alva in 1987. The coastal towns of Pimentel and Puerto Eten offer caballitos de totora reed boats still in working use. Most travelers stay two nights to cover the museums and the coast without rushing.

— where
Peru · Chiclayo Province, Lambayeque
— elevation
29 m · 95 ft
— position
-6.7714° S · 79.8409° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
12 km N
Lambayeque
museum town
13 km W
Pimentel
Pacific beach town
35 km SE
Huaca Rajada (Sipán)
archaeological site
N
Chiclayo
Lambayeque
Pimentel
Huaca Rajada (Sipán)
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Chiclayo — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On the north coast of Peru, in the Lambayeque region, about 770 kilometers north of Lima and thirteen kilometers inland from the Pacific. It is the fourth-largest city in the country.

It anchors the ancient Moche and Lambayeque cultural area. The Lord of Sipán, an unlooted royal Moche tomb excavated in 1987, is the region's signature discovery and is displayed at the Museo Tumbas Reales nearby.

The city's main market, open daily before dawn. It includes the calle de los brujos, a section dedicated to medicinal herbs, charms, and items used by curanderos who practice traditional healing along Peru's north coast.

Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva and his team excavated the tomb in 1987 at Huaca Rajada, southeast of Chiclayo, after a tip-off about looting. The grave goods are now housed at the Museo Tumbas Reales in Lambayeque.

A regional dessert: layered shortbread filled with manjar blanco, pineapple, and peanuts. It was named in the 1930s after the film, and it is sold in every bakery in the city and along the highway.

By daily flights from Lima of about ninety minutes to Capitán FAP José Abelardo Quiñones airport, or by an overnight bus along the Pan-American Highway. The city itself is a flat, easy grid to navigate by taxi or on foot.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with ties to Lambayeque. The piece reads as a quiet salute to the city rather than a tourist scene. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio travels well.

The warm earth tones and indigo accents suit Latin American Modern, terracotta-led Mediterranean rooms, and collected interiors with woven textiles and unglazed pottery. It reads beautifully against a clay-toned wall.

Yes. The Heritage-Modern direction favors pre-Columbian and Andean references, hand-finished surfaces, and a restrained palette of clay, ochre, and indigo. A Large above a credenza anchors the room.

Above a standard sofa we recommend a single Large or a four-tile Mural. Above a narrower console, a Medium or a three-tile horizontal arrangement holds the wall without crowding it.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate humidity and direct splash, which makes them safe for a backsplash, a powder room, or a shower surround.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water are enough. For a kitchen tile, a drop of mild dish soap removes cooking residue. Avoid abrasive pads and ammonia-based sprays, which can dull the surface over time.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio, painted in our stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language by Reid Wender. We do not license other artists' work and we do not reproduce existing paintings.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.