The exterior walls of the platforms at Huaca de la Luna are covered wtih the remnants of mural paintings and sculptured reliefs, primarily of lines of warriors carrying shields and war clubs. Geometric designs decorate some of the walls in a checkerboard fashion, and a striking image of a two-headed serpent or a snarling stylized feline is rendered in several locations.
Huaca de la Luna and the Warrior Narrative
Huaca de la Luna has been associated with the Moche Warrior Narrative, largely on the strength of a discovery of 70 sacrificed warriors in a heap on Plaza 3A. The Warrior Narrative is an story told on murals and ceramic pot decorations at Moche sites throughout the period and region. The 70 bodies were of adult males between the ages of 15 and 39; their bones exhibited evidence of unusually strong musculature and both old (healed) fractures and recent ones.The warriors had been killed either by having their throats slit or by skull fracture; several had been dismembered. Fifty-two unfired portrait pots were found within the bone deposit, each portraying a captive individual. This deposit of bones and pots is considered strong evidence that the Warrior Narrative (and in particular the Sacrifice Ceremony, seen in mural paintings and fineline ceramic decorations, were not just legends but illustrated real ritual events in the life of the Moche.
Excavations at Huaca de la Luna
Investigations at Huaca de la Luna have occurred since the beginning of the 20th century by archaeologists including Max Uhle, Alfred Kroeber and Rafael Larco Hoyle. Most recently, excavations at the site have been conducted since 1991 by the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo.Sources
Bourget, Steve. 2001. Rituals of Sacrifice: Its practice at Huaca de la Luna and its representation in Moche [conography. pp 89-110 in Moche Art and Archaeology in Ancient Peru, Joanne Pillsbury, ed. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
Donnan, Christopher. mss. Moche state religion: A unifying force in Moche political organization.
Uceda, Santiago. 2001. Investigations at Huaca de la Luna, Moche Valley: An example of Moche religious architecture. Pp 47-68 in Moche Art and Archaeology in Ancient Peru, Joanne Pillsbury, ed. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
Verano, John W. 2001. War and death in the Moche world: Osteological evidence and visual discourse. Pp 111-126 in Moche Art and Archaeology in Ancient Peru, Joanne Pillsbury, ed. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
