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Reevaluating the Chronology of Huaca Cao Viejo, El Brujo Archaeological Complex
Synopsis
Huaca Cao Viejo, a monumental building from the Moche period (200–700 CE), is located within the El Brujo Archaeological Complex in the Chicama Valley. Along with other constructions at the site, it was for several centuries part of an influential ceremonial center, both representative in the landscape and significant in the sociopolitical scene of its time.
Since 1990, the Wiese Foundation—responsible for the research, conservation, and promotion of the archaeological complex—has dedicated efforts to clarifying the chronology of the Moche occupation, which still relies heavily on relative sequences from funerary evidence.
This book presents comprehensive contextual information from archaeological excavations designed to explore the construction sequence of Huaca Cao Viejo.
The presentation of the empirical data recovered during these interventions, duly organized in this volume, is part of our commitment to sharing field information, contextualizing collections, and establishing a reference base for future studies and interpretations regarding the Moche occupation of Peru’s north coast.
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Editors: Bazán Pérez, Augusto & Alva Chancos, José I.
Publisher: Wiese Foundation
Publication year: 2024
The Ceramics of El Brujo. Cupisnique and Moche Periods
Synopsis
The El Brujo Archaeological Complex is an extensive settlement near the mouth of the Chicama River, on the north coast of Peru. This site bears evidence of a long social history spanning 14,000 years, from the earliest hunter-gatherer communities to the remains of a republican-era fishing village.
Throughout this long history, ceramics have been one of the most widely used material testimonies, introduced in the Central Andes around 1700 BCE. Working clay enabled Andean communities to produce a wide variety of objects for domestic, ornamental, and ceremonial use.
Since 1990, the Wiese Foundation has been researching the human occupations that made El Brujo the significant archaeological site it is today. Efforts have focused on Huaca Cao Viejo, a massive Moche temple (200–700 CE) where the tomb of the Lady of Cao, a prominent elite woman, was discovered.
This publication offers a detailed description of complete ceramic pieces recovered from key archaeological contexts of the Formative Period (1700–200 BCE) and the Early Intermediate Period (200 BCE–700 CE). To systematize the findings—fundamental to the collections housed at the Cao Museum—it proposes a chronological framework and provides abundant graphic detail.
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Author: Alva Chancos, José I.
Publisher: Wiese Foundation | Fondo de Cultura Económica
Publication year: 2024
Lambayeque Funerary Bundles at El Brujo: Collection Catalogue
Synopsis
Funerary bundling is one of the most recurrent and long-standing mortuary practices in the Andean region, particularly in ancient Peru. Early evidence of systematic wrapping of the dead in textiles comes from Pueblo 1 in Chilca, the Tres Ventanas Cave in Huarochirí, and Los Gavilanes in the Huarmey Valley. Over the centuries, this practice became more complex, reaching great sophistication during the Paracas, Wari, and Inca periods.
Producing a funerary bundle required considerable labor and mastery of advanced textile technologies of the time. Often mistaken for mummies, funerary bundles are a constant feature in pre-Hispanic history. This publication seeks to highlight this rich cultural legacy by making available to the public the catalog of the El Brujo Archaeological Complex’s collection of funerary bundles, located in the lower Chicama Valley.
The collection, composed of 142 specimens, comes from a Lambayeque-period cemetery (11th–12th centuries CE), found in the ruins of what was once the great Moche temple of Cao Viejo.
Recovered in the 1990s, they hold valuable information about death and social structures in ancient Peru. This work organizes and classifies the evidence, provides detailed photographic records of each specimen under rigorous scientific and ethical standards, and opens new avenues of research into pre-Hispanic funerary practices.
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Author: Buitron Picharde, Rubén
Publisher: Wiese Foundation
Publication year: 2023
Building Huaca Cao Viejo: A Moche Temple in the Chicama Valley. Report on the 2020 Field Season
Synopsis
Huaca Cao, a temple from the Moche period (200–700 CE), is located within the El Brujo Archaeological Complex in the lower Chicama Valley. Alongside other buildings erected at the site, it was for centuries an influential ceremonial center, prominent both in the landscape and in the sociopolitical context of the region.
Since the early 1990s, the Wiese Foundation has studied this building, where in 2004 the tomb of an elite Moche woman, the Lady of Cao, was discovered. The temple did not appear overnight; rather, it is the result of successive construction efforts reflecting the political and religious dynamics of the Moche culture in the lower Chicama.
Recent studies, summarized in this publication, reveal the history of the temple’s construction, relative timelines, and the materials and social practices involved in its continuous expansion.
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Author: Bazán Pérez, Augusto
Publisher: Wiese Foundation
Publication year: 2023
The Funerary Context of the Lady of Cao: Discovery and Study of Elite Moche Burials at Huaca Cao Viejo, El Brujo Archaeological Complex
Synopsis
This book focuses on presenting various studies and analyses conducted on the Lady of Cao and her companions: seven individuals buried in five tombs within the “mausoleum chamber,” corresponding to the second construction phase of Huaca Cao Viejo. This context can be understood as a microcosm of Moche funerary practices, offering insights into this society and the multiple social and political dimensions of this significant woman.
The detailed history revealed here is of great importance to Peruvian archaeology and provides a foundation for future gender-focused studies of the pre-Hispanic world. The discovery of the Lady of Cao’s tombs and her companions in 2004, one of the greatest achievements of Peruvian archaeology, has shed light not only on Moche funerary practices but also on aspects of the identity of this remarkable elite woman from the southern Moche region.
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Author: Various
Publisher: Wiese Foundation
Publication year: 2021
Chavín: Matrix Culture of Andean Civilization
Synopsis
In 1919, the renowned Peruvian archaeologist Julio César Tello began his research at the site he defined as the cradle of Peru’s cultural matrix: Chavín de Huántar. Successive expeditions following this exploration produced multiple works and interpretations, which were synthesized in this book, originally published in 1960—after Tello’s death—through the editorial efforts of Toribio Mejía Xesspe, his closest collaborator.
This reedition corrects several errors from the first edition and includes not only new graphic evidence from the Tello Archive, housed at San Marcos University, but also academic articles updating current perspectives on the culture that inspired one of Dr. Tello’s magnum opuses.
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Author: Tello, Julio C.
Publisher: Wiese Foundation
Publication year: 2019
Pre-Inca Treasures of the Moche Culture: The Lord of Sipán, Huaca de la Luna, Lady of Cao
Synopsis
This book derives from the exhibition held in Cádiz. The publication brings together eight essays by renowned researchers.
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Author: Various
Publisher: Wiese Foundation
Publication year: 2019
Pre-Inca Treasures of the Moche Culture: The Lord of Sipán, Huaca de la Luna, Lady of Cao (Abridged Version)
Synopsis
An abridged version of the book Pre-Inca Treasures of the Moche Culture, featuring images of 45 Moche archaeological pieces and artifacts from other Andean societies.
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Author: Various
Publisher: Wiese Foundation
Publication year: 2012
Discover the secrets of the past and immerse yourself in Peru’s fascinating cultures with the books of the Wiese Foundation and the El Brujo Archaeological Complex. Explore the archaeological findings that reveal the richness of our heritage.
