Temples of Sol y Luna - Trujillo

Peru is home to a number of fascinating archaeological sites, Machu Picchu is the most famous. Peru has been home to numerous cultures for thousands of years and due to its dry coastal climate many ancient treasures, like the Nazca Lines, which would have disappeared in other locations the climate preserved allowing visitors a glimpse into the past and these early culture's magnificent works of art.

One of the lesser known sites is a short 15 minutes drive south of Trujillo - a colonial city located on the north coast of Peru. The Temples of the Sun and Moon (Sol y Luna) are located in a valley along the Moche River, these adobe pyramids were built by the Moche approximately 1500 years ago. The Temple of the Moon is the smaller of the two temples and is located in front of Cerro Blanco in a North-South Orientation and served as the religious center for the city. While the Temple of the Sun is the newer and larger of the two temples has an east-west orientation, is located in front of Cerro Negro and served as the administration center. The two Huacas are separated by a valley approximately 500 square meters wide that served as the Moche Capital City.

Restoration of the Temple of the Moon began in 1991 and the site was opened to visitors in 1995, while restoration of the Temple of the Sun is scheduled to begin in 2011. Visiting the sites includes a visit to the museum located near the entrance of the Temple of the Moon. The University of Trujillo Museum has an excellent collection of artifacts collected from the site as well as several multimedia presentations of the Moches including their art, architecture and religion.

Thanks to the Moches belief system, the Temple de Luna is one of the most interesting archeological visits in the Americas. The Moches built the pyramids in levels. Each approximately 100 years they would build a new pyramid completely encompassing the old pyramid. To do so they would fill the old structure will adobe bricks and then plaster over the bricks to seal off the old and make way for the new. As a result when archaeologist began studying the site some 20 years ago, they began peeling back layers and uncovering the original art work of the Moches, tombs, ceramics, and other ornaments. Their work has been solely to discover and preserve the site for the future – there has been no restoration or “reinterpretation” of the pyramid as is seen at many of the other archaeological sites.

Development of the site - the two pyramids and the city in between has been done completely with private funding from individuals, foundations, the university and companies. Much of the work is done by students both locally and from aboard. The Temple of the Moon is a fascinating site well worth the visit and we can only believe that once work begins on the Temple of the Sun and the wonders of that site are made available to the public, that it will become one of the most popular destinations in Peru.