Temples of the Sun and the Moon

Our ship’s first stop in Peru was the Port of Salaverry, which serves the major city of Trujillo. Neither Salaverry or Trujillo were very interesting and definitely not very photogenic; the real purpose of our stop was to see the Temples of the Sun and the Moon.

This major archaeological site was built at the time of the Moche culture (100 BC-650 AD). The complex is dominated by two huge adobe brick buildings: the Pyramid of the Sun, or Huaca del Sol, and the artificial platform called Huaca de la Luna, or Temple of the Moon.

Despite its history of destruction during the colonial period, the stepped pyramid called Huaca del Sol still measures 1,250 feet in length and towers 135 feet above the surrounding plain – this makes it the tallest adobe structure of the Americas. lt is calculated that around 50 million sun-dried, mud bricks (or “adobes”), were used in its construction.

This was about as close as we got to Huaca del Sol. It was an administrative centre for the Moche people and as such did not offer as much interest as its counterpart, Huaca de la Luna.

Overlooking the Pyramid of the Sun lies the Pyramid or Temple of the Moon, another major component of the urban and ceremonial center of the prehispanic settlement of Moche. Ongoing excavations by Peruvian and foreign scholars are revealing the complexity of this fascinating structure.

This photo shows the site of Huaca de la Luna against the backdrop of Cerro Blanco (White Mountain). Huaca de la Luna is a very active archeological site. It’s exploration continues to reveal the mysteries of its past. Huaca de la Luna was a religious centre and there is clear evidence of rituals of human sacrifice. The Moche would sacrifice enemy combatants at intervals linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon in an apparent effort to stem the torrential rains that accompany El Nino.

To the left is a photo of active archeological exploration as scholars continue to probe the past of the Moche People.

To the right is a picture of a modern day Moche, garbed in traditional dress. He played his horn and posed for pictures. It’s a living.

My final picture for today shows inner walls of the temple that have been unearthed. It is amazing to me to see how the colours on the adobe have endured over such a long period of time.