Huaca Prieta

Welcome to the northern coast of Peru, specifically the stark and windswept landscape just sixty kilometers north of Trujillo near the village of Magdalena de Cao. Here, the arid desert collides dramatically with the crashing…

Let us begin our exploration at the gateway to the site's most modern addition, the heavily guarded Museo Cao. Opened to the public in late April two thousand and nine, this sleek and contemporary facility stands in stark…

Stepping out of the museum, let us take the dusty, sunbaked trail leading toward the largest visible structure in the complex, Huaca Cao Viejo. As your boots crunch against the arid earth, cast your gaze upward at the sheer scale…

We have now entered one of the primary ceremonial plazas near the summit of Huaca Cao Viejo. Here, sheltered from the elements by modern protective roofing, lies some of the most beautiful and impressive iconography ever…

Moving deeper into the complex, we arrive at an incredibly unique and elaborate structure containing multiple sub chambers buried deep within the solid adobe mass of the huaca itself. This deeply sacred precinct is the exact…

Let us exit the shaded confines of Huaca Cao Viejo and walk along the elevated ridge toward the second major pyramid of the complex, Huaca Cortada. As we traverse this open ground, the magnificent vista of the Pacific Ocean opens…

Leave the towering adobe walls of the Moche behind and follow the path southward, toward the dark, seemingly shapeless mass looming near the shoreline. You have now arrived at the base of Huaca Prieta, the Black Pyramid. …

We have now reached the rear section of Huaca Prieta, overlooking the deep, meticulously carved excavation trenches. It is here that modern science has peered into the deepest abyss of human history in the Americas. …

As our journey comes to an end, let us make our way up the rugged path toward the upper elevations of Huaca Prieta. Standing here, high above the Pacific Ocean, you are afforded a sweeping panoramic view of the entire El Brujo…