(For those who don't get the above reference, Shakira sings a song called Waka Waka which she made for the 2011 World Cup, the name of the pyramids are pronounced the same as her song. You can listen to the song here, if you feel so inspired: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpeEdMmmQ0 it's actually pretty good, in my opinion). The day after Chan Chan we headed to some more ruins: La Huaca del Sol y La Huaca de la Luna. As far as I can tell, "huaca" means the same things as "pyramid and/or temple," although I am sure there is some difference. (Here's the definition according to Wikipedia: In Quechua, a Native American language of South America, a huaca orwaqa is an object that represents something revered, typically a monument of some kind. The term huaca can refer to natural locations, such as immense rocks. Some huacas have been associated with veneration and ritual. Andean cultures believed every object has a physical presence and two camaquen (spirits), one to create it & another to animate it. They would invoke its spirits for the object to function.) Oh, and sol=sun and luna=moon.
Anyways, both of the Huacas were really impressive. The Huacas were constructed by the Moche civilization between 100BC-800AD. This part of their civilization consisted of two large pyramids (the Huacas) with a residential area located in between the two. La Huaca de la Luna was built against a mountain, and eventually, (with all the layers) ended up essentially being built into the mountain. La Huaca del Sol is located opposite the Huaca de la Luna, with the houses in between. Over they years, they would decide to build a new layer of the huaca over the whole huaca, creating a "new huaca". Once a new layer was constructed, it was not possible to access the previous layers.
Thus far, they have only excavated the inside of Huaca de la Luna. We got to take a tour and see the inside of the huaca, which was awesome. Huaca de la Luna is the smaller of the two, but they think that it was the more important one religiously. It is comprised of 5 layers-back in the day, it was only possible to go on the outermost layer. Now, however, various layers are excavated and we got to see a little peek from the third all the way up to the fifth layers. Each layer has the same basic plan, just with the rooms in different places.
My favorite part of the huaca were the paintings. There are different designs all around the inside and outside-and the are all original, including the colors. It was so cool to see paintings that were made 2000 years ago and are still in pristine condition.
Okay, so here are a few tidbits from the day :)
This is the room where the would prepare prisoners (and other people) for sacrifice. This was the first part of the Huaca we saw.
The big, natural rock is the sacrificial rock. Yes, back in the day, they sacrificed people there. The rock was a natural part of the mountain, they didn't put it there, they just decided it would make a good sacrificial place. Initially, the rock was up behind the Huaca. However, as the Huaca expanded and kept getting built onto, the rock became sort of incorporated into the Huaca. It was never in the middle of the Huaca, rather at the back of it by the 4th and 5th layers. Unlike the Mayas and Aztecs, when the Moche sacrificed people, only the important religious figures were allowed. It was not a town event. After the sacrifice, however, the priest would bring the blood of the sacrificee out in a cup for all to see.
One of the well preserved paintings. According to our guide, they have not doing anything to restore it. It is some sort of feline-looking figure because felines were considered to be divine. You can clearly see the colors of red, yellow, black and white.
This the residential sector, located in between the two Huacas. I think it looks like a model in this picture, but it's the real deal! Archaeology students from one of the local universities get to come and excavate it...pretty cool! They still have not excavated very much of the residential section, but it is a work in progress.
The main plaza of la Huaca de la Luna. The opening in the top of the Huaca is where the priest would come out to show the cup of blood to the village. Everyone would gather in the plaza where I am standing to watch. On the wall is painted a hierarchy of the society: prisoners on the bottom, then workers (if I remember correctly), spiders, a feline figure, and finally the snake up at the top.
Another really cool painting, even more well preserved than the other one.
Welcome to the Huacas de Moche!
After our visit to the Huacas, we spent the rest of the afternoon in Trujillo people watching, enjoying the beach and killing time until our bus to Piura (and then Guayaquil, Ecuador) that night. These pictures are in reverse order...sorry
On the bus from Piura, Peru to Guayaquil, Ecuador. A beautiful sunset over a banana farm in Ecuador. I was amazed at the colors in the sky and how green everything was.
Crossing the border! Welcome to Ecuador!
The sexiest bus outfit you ever did see. The Cruz del Sur bus terminal was really nice, they checked our luggage in and everything, just like an airport. And, the bus was by far the nicest I have been on in Peru. It was just as nice or nicer than the ones I take in Chile. Too bad the direct to Guayaquil was already sold out :(
The famous reed boats in Huanchaco. Apparently the fisherman have built and used them for thousands of years. The go out early in the morning and in the late afternoon to get the days catch. It's quite impressive to watch them tackle the waves in their little tiny reed boats, just perched on top.
A beautiful sunset off the coast of Huanchaco. The balcony from our hostel overlooked this view. And we could hear the waves from our room as we fell asleep.
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