Trujillo Ruins, Part 2

We followed up last week's visit to Chan Chan with a trip to the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Sun and Moon Temples).  The structures predate Chan Chan by approximately 1,000 years, and were built by the Moche people.  The Huaca del Sol has not gone under much excavation, so there is not much to see except for the exterior.  As with Chan Chan, much of it has been destroyed by the elements (only about 25% of the original structure is still intact), but the sheer size of what remains is impressive.  Our guidebook gave us the impression we could walk around, or even on, the temple, but our guide must have not read that book because he seemed confused when I asked for permission to get closer.  We were limited to viewing it from a distance.
The Huaca de la Luna (pictured top left, at the foot of Cerra Blanca, or White Mountain) is the most interesting ruin we've seen so far on our trip (which also includes Ingapirca in Ecuador - we didn't bother writing an entry on that, so that should give you an idea of how interesting it was to us).  The temple consists of five major layers that were built over 600 years.  Because of these layers, parts of the structure remain very well preserved despite the fact it is built with adobe bricks.  The last layer has largely been washed away, but the others are in a constant state of excavation, so that if we were to return in a few years, we'd be able to see different areas of the temple.  In contrast to Chan Chan, the administrators' goal is preservation and not restoration, so everything, including the nearly 2,000 year old murals, is original.

The only downside of the tour was an annoying Brit who was intent on making life difficult for the guide, and then did not bother to tip him.  There was a French couple with us and they actually behaved themselves pretty well.

Huaca del Sol from the top of the Huaca de la Luna (excavation sites in the foreground)

2,000 year old murals in the Huaca de la Luna

Painted friezes on the massive north wall

The north wall (and me, for scale)

One last mural