Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Size isn't everything, however. The smaller but more interesting Huaca de la Luna is
about 500m away across the open desert. This structure is riddled with rooms that contain
ceramics, precious metals and some of the beautiful polychrome friezes for which the
Moche were famous. The
huaca
(tomb or grave) was built over six centuries to AD 600,
with six succeeding generations expanding on it and completely covering the previous
structure. Archaeologists are currently onion-skinning selected parts of the
huaca
and
have discovered that there are friezes of stylized figures on every level, some of which
have been perfectly preserved by the later levels built around them. It's well worth a visit;
you'll see newly excavated friezes every year and the new and excellent
Museo Huacas
de Moche
(Admission S3; 9am-4:30pm)
is a long-time-coming permanent home for
numerous objects excavated from the site. There's a research center and theater as well.
As you leave, check out the souvenir stands, some of which sell pots made using the
original molds found at the site. Also look around for
biringos,
the native Peruvian hair-
less dogs that hang out here. Their body temperature is higher than the normal dog and
they have traditionally been used as body warmers for people with arthritis.
Combis
for the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna pass Ovalo Grau in Trujillo every 15
minutes or so. It's also possible to take a taxi (S15).
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Complejo Arqueológico la Huaca el Brujo
(adult S11; 9am-4pm)
This archaeological complex consists of the Huaca Prieta site,
the recently excavated Moche site of Huaca Cao Viejo with its brilliant mural reliefs, and
Huaca el Brujo, which is only starting to be excavated. The complex is 60km from
Trujillo on the coast and is hard to find without a guide. It's technically not open to the
public as there is little to see so far, but tour agencies in Trujillo can arrange a visit to the
area on request.
Reaching the complex on your own is complicated. The safest route is catching a bus in
Trujillo bound for Chocope (S3.50, 1½ hours) from Ovalo del Papa southwest of town.
Switch for a
colectivo
to Magdalena de Cao (S2.50, 20 minutes), where you'll need to ne-
gotiate with a
mototaxi
to take you to and from the site with waiting time. There is very
little public transport out this way.
Huaca Cao Viejo
The main section of Huaca Cao Viejo is a 27m truncated pyramid with some of the best
friezes in the area. They show magnificently multicolored reliefs - much more color than
you see at the
huacas
closer to Chiclayo - with stylized life-sized warriors, prisoners,
priests and human sacrifices. There are also many burial sites from the Lambayeque cul-
ture, which followed the Moche. The people who live near this
huaca
insist that it has
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