Huacas de Moche

Abstract

Scientific and popular knowledge traditionally associates the iconic Andean archeological site of Huacas de Moche —also known as Huacas del Sol y de la Luna—with the Mochica, or Moche, culture. They say that Huacas de Moche was a city that concentrated the power of a state with ideological and political influence on the northern coast of Peru between 100 and 850 AD. The archaeological remains of the ancient adobe settlement, however, indicate that this is only part of the story and that different cultural groups occupied the site before and after the Mochicas over a period of approximately two thousand years. Based on the available archaeological evidence, this paper describes and analyzes the occupation history of Huacas de Moche, focusing on lesser-known periods and examining how these different communities modified the natural and cultural landscape during their occupations.