Caballo Lake a rest stop during their travels, and eagles are often seen in the area. Caballo Lake is named for the Caballo Mountains that border the lake to the northeast, east, and southeast, in which wild horses roamed; Caballo means "horse" in Spanish. The upper area of the lake is very shallow and in recent years has been blocked from the lower, deeper end of the lake. The water has a slightly brownish hue from a distance, due to the shallow waters (usually about at the deepest point). The beaches of Caballo are rocky when compared to Elephant Butte Reservoir, but
Caballo Muerto was occupied from 1500 to 400 BC and belongs to the Middle Formative period. Among the contemporary sites in the other valleys of the northern coast of Peru are Limoncarro in Jequetepeque, Cerro Blanco in Nepeña District of Ancash Region, Pallka in Casma Valley, Santa Lucia in Lambayeque Region, and Ñañañique in Piura Region. In the northern highlands, the related sites are Huacaloma, Kuntur Wasi (both near Cajamarca), and Pacopampa. The archaeological complex of Caballo Muerto features stone and adobe constructions, with mud used as mortar. It consists of a dozen ceremonial buildings on constructed platforms, among them the Huaca