The Moche controlling a dozen fertile river valleys along what is now Peru’s northern Pacific coast from about 300 to 850 C.E. (Common Era).
[Originally published September 12, 2011] Peru’s Culture Minister Susana Baca warned that allowing a major daily increase in the number of tourists to Machu Picchu could mean not only the deterioration of the Inca Citadel, but also risk the wrath of UNESCO, which could add Peru’s top tourist attraction to an infamous list of endangered sites.
The Huaca de la Luna (Temple of the Moon) is the largest Moche archaeological complex, and one of the most impressive ruins to visit in Peru, on par with Machu Picchu or Kuelap or Chan Chan.
I took an incredible four-day archaeological journey along the Moche highway: Chiclayo, Túcume (and the recently opened Huaca Las Balsas), San Jose de Moro, El Brujo and the Museo Cao, Trujillo, Huanchaco and Huaca de la Luna.