The El Brujo Archaeological Site and The Huaca Cao Viejo.

The archaeological site of El Brujo (the Wizard or Sorcerer) is located north of Trujillo, near Chocope, in the Ascope province. Research at this archaeological site is the being done by the following three institutions:

(1) The Augusto N. Wiese Foundation
(2) The Regional Institute of Culture of Peru (La Libertad Office)
(3) The University of Trujillo.

At the El Brujo archaeological site are three huacas: Huaca Cao Viejo, Huaca El Brujo, and Huaca Prieta. These structures were built by the Moche people, who lived there between the years A.D. 100 and 700.

The Huaca Cao Viejo (see photo above) was most likely used for religious rituals. Within this temple, archaeologists have found the ruins of an important ceremonial precinct (illustration on the left, click on it for hi-res 104K). Its two walls decorated with small high-relief iconographic designs. It is believed that the ceiling, which disintegrated some time in the past, was painted with similar decorations.

The narrative scenes that decorate both walls each contain approximately 50 iconographic figures showing scenes of fishing and navigation, human figures related to the cosmic world, mythical animals, shamans, warriors, and human sacrifice.

If you look closely, you can see scenes of combat, a person with a five-pointed crown, fertility, represented by a person inside an egg,and a shaman healing the sick.

An artist's drawing of the figures on one of the walls. Click here for a higher-resolution version (85K).

A little mystery.....

The people who now live near the El Brujo site tell us that the Huaca Cao Viejo (or White Huaca) is a temple with positive energy, which is represented by a man, the earth or the sun. The Huaca Partida is a temple with negative energy, which is represented by a woman, the sea or the moon. At Huaca Partida, shamans perform ritual mesas.

Excavations at the El Brujo complex have revealed evidence of human sacrifice, most probably made to the "Decapitator" god Aia-Paec (shown on the left).

If you would like to visit El Brujo ...

First you must request an invitation from the Wiese Foundation, the Regional Institute of Culture, or the University of Trujillo.
To reach El Brujo, go north on the Panamerican Highway to Chocope (approximately one hour's drive from Trujillo). Then turn west until you reach the village of Magdalena de Cao. The El Brujo site is a few minutes away.

For more information about Peru tourist attractions, see PromPerú