Huaca de la Luna (The Temple of the Moon) is opposite Huaca del Sol (The Temple of the Sun) in Trujillo. In between the two temples is the ancient city of La Ciudad Moche (The Moche City) that is still being excavated. This area was the capital of the Moche culture between 400 and 600AD. Its actual area is 120 hectares and much of it has not yet been excavated so there are still many secrets to discover. The Spanish conquerors were the first to use the names sun and moon, they assumed that the temples had been built by the Inca's in honour to their main gods, the bigger one to the sun and the smaller to the moon. However the city was built by the Moche over 900 years before the arrival of the Incas.
Every 100 years or so the Moche would build a new temple for the gods by completely covering or sealing the existing temple and building a new temple on top. The Temple of the Moon is actually about 5 or 6 temples built one on top of the other so archaeologists can not excavate all of the temples as they would have to destroy one temple to get to another. Many secrets of the Moche will never be discovered.
The Plaza of the Sacred stone had more than 60 skeletons scattered across the floor, they were all male. The Moche used to sacrifice humans to stop the rains in El Nino phenomenon. Interestingly on the other side of the mountain the Moche would sacrifice humans in El Nina to make it rain. Prisoners would be chosen to be sacrificed by fighting with each other. The loser of the battle would be sacrificed to the gods by the priest who would slit the prisoners throat to collect the blood and then cut of the head. The priest wore a robe with a belt that was decorated with human skulls. Sacrificed men were not buried, their bodies were left for the gods spread on the floor, with time sand would cover them.
It was interesting to hear about human sacrifices as we haven't heard about it anywhere else. I was thinking about sacrificing Hannah but mum and dad sadly said no, besides the Moche only sacrifice men.... (so you better watch out Drew - from Hannah) There was a really well preserved iconography in the Temple of the Moon that depicts the god Ai-Apaec (The Decapitator) taking a knife in his left hand and the head of a prisoner in his right hand. He wears a serpent belt that ends with a condor head. The condor is Peru's national animal. Drew 
The Plaza of the Sacred stone had more than 60 skeletons scattered across the floor, they were all male. The Moche used to sacrifice humans to stop the rains in El Nino phenomenon. Interestingly on the other side of the mountain the Moche would sacrifice humans in El Nina to make it rain. Prisoners would be chosen to be sacrificed by fighting with each other. The loser of the battle would be sacrificed to the gods by the priest who would slit the prisoners throat to collect the blood and then cut of the head. The priest wore a robe with a belt that was decorated with human skulls. Sacrificed men were not buried, their bodies were left for the gods spread on the floor, with time sand would cover them. It was interesting to hear about human sacrifices as we haven't heard about it anywhere else. I was thinking about sacrificing Hannah but mum and dad sadly said no, besides the Moche only sacrifice men.... (so you better watch out Drew - from Hannah) There was a really well preserved iconography in the Temple of the Moon that depicts the god Ai-Apaec (The Decapitator) taking a knife in his left hand and the head of a prisoner in his right hand. He wears a serpent belt that ends with a condor head. The condor is Peru's national animal. Drew 
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