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Trujillo authorities aim to increase visits to local archeaological

Authorities in the northern Peruvian city of Trujillo aim to increase tourist visits to the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Temple of the Sun and the Moon) archaeological complex by 10 percent this year.

Archaeological complex's director Ricardo Morales said that more than three million soles will be invested in a tourism promotion project which seeks to create new job opportunities while providing better service to the 98,000 travelers who visit the area every year.

Morales pointed out that the project also seeks to encourage visitors to stay longer and contribute more to the tourism industry. "They can tour the countryside of the Moche District, enjoy the delicious local cuisine and explore other archaeological and natural sites in Trujillo," he said.

The countryside in the province of La Libertad was the land where the ancient Mochica culture chose to build up its most important ceremonial centres: The Huaca del Sol and the Huaca de la Luna. Located only 8 km away from the city of Trujillo, these impressive monuments are more that 1,500 years old.

The Huaca or Temple of the Sun functioned as an administrative and political centre. It is a staggered pyramid of approximately 43 meters high that was built by 250,000 men in only three days according to tradition. Around 70 million adobe bricks were used for its construction.

The Huaca de la Luna or Temple of the Moon is located 500 meters away from the Huaca del Sol. This construction was built for ceremonial purposes and it is formed by six superimposed temples built during different periods of the Mochica culture.

Its polychrome big walls, on which they represented the Mochica divinity known as Ai-Apaec (Slaughterer God) are remarkable since they are very well preserved. It is thought that multiple human sacrifices were held to honour this god, rituals that have been captured in other elements of the Mochica iconography.

Other characters have been also represented on its façade: serpents, fishermen, huge spiders holding ceremonial knives, priests, etc. These would have been designed to pay tribute to the water and the fertility of the land.

(END) OPC/JOT/PSY/LVT

Fuente: www.andina.com.pe

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