Huaca+Del+Sol

=Huaca Del Sol=

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The Huaca del Sol was built at Cerro Blanco, Peru by the Moche, and it is found 500 meters west of the Huaca de la Luna. It's current size is 340 by 160 meters, but due to hydraulic mining most of the structure is now destroyed. Spanish looters redirected the Moche river in order to extract "treasure" from the rich tombs within the Huaca, and because of this mining we can see how the Moche used the huaca and how it was built. It is made of large adobe bricks and originally consisted of at least 100 million bricks. Judging from the remnants of the Huaca del Sol we can determine that it was made of four sections. The first section faced the north and is the lowest. It most likely had some kind of walkway that lead to the summit. The second section was higher and wider than the first, and was built in eight stages due to occupation and use of the huaca. However, the third section was certainly the highest and probably the most important. The fourth and final section had the least amount of surface area. Most of the looting conducted by the Spanish was done in the third section. This evidence and other Spanish colonial documentation indicate that the Huaca del Sol may have been the imperial palace for the Moche and a mausoleum for the heads of state. Many different labor forces were used to construct the pyramid, and for each sequence of construction there is a makers' mark.

Within and surrounding the Huaca del Sol are the graves of past Moche leaders. Each person has been