The Royal Tomb of the Lord of Sipan

THIS FUNERARY COMPLEX OF THE MOCHICA CULTURE IS ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR FINDINGS OF PERUVIAN ARCHAEOLOGY. THE GOLD PIECES THAT WERE FOUND AROUND THIS ANCIENT SITE OF THE LAMBAYEQUE VALLEY ARE OF SUCH BEAUTY THAT THEIR FAME IS KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD.

Data:
- The tomb of the Lord of Sipan was discovered in 1987 by

  archeologist Walter Alva, forty kilometers away from the city of

  Chiclayo.
- It belongs to the Mochica culture which was developed between

  the centuries I and V A.D.

THE MOCHICAS
The Mochican culture was organized in different kingdoms and local domains throughout a territory that spanned six hundred kilometers long, in the desert strip of the northern coast of Peru. In order to surpass the desert conditions, the Mochicas constructed channels and reservoirs with the purpose of storing water from the rivers. These advances allowed them to improve their agricultural production. The Mochicas were mainly dedicated to growing corn, potatoes, yucca, lima beans, pumpkin and peanut. Their ceramic also stands out because of its great beauty and are the best testimony of the cosmic vision of this culture. Men, divinities, mythological beings, animals, plants and complex scenes of ceremonies, combats and hunting were represented in their sculptures and pottery. Many of these pieces have been found in their cemeteries.

HISTORY OF ITS DISCOVERY
The prelude to the discovery of the tomb of the Lord of Sipan was the recovery, on the part of the Chiclayan police, of 33 pieces of Mochican origin that had been extracted from the Huaca Rajada (a typical sacred construction of pre-Hispanic times) clandestinely. This happened in February, 1987. Among all the pieces recovered stood out a human head made of gold with silver mounted eyes. The quality of the pieces had the archaeologists to thinking that Huaca Rajada hid the tomb of a celebrity of great importance. The excavations demonstrated that their conjecture was certain. First was found a repository of offerings that contained 1,137 pieces of ceramics, four copper crowns, one mask, spondylus shells, a human burial and tens of bones of native camels. Later, the Royal Sarcophagus was found and with it, 451 pieces, which included ornaments, hairdos, clothes and offerings that covered the deceased. Of all them, stood out a gold crown; 11 pectoral covers with shells; a gold baby rattle; chin, eye and nose protectors worked in gold; a scepter; ornaments made of feathers; a helmet made of vegetable fiber and copper, and a bracelet with turquoises. Next to the great Lord, the skeletons of eight people were buried, presumably servants, concubines and soldiers. The cleaning and registry of the funeral chamber of the Lord of Sipan took nearly ten months.

THE BURIALS AND THEIR SOCIAL HIERARCHY
The Mochicas buried their dead in a very similar way that is done today: facing upwards and, sometimes, within coffins. However, the Sican culture that succeeded the Mochica a century after, in the same valley of Lambayeque, buried their deceased seated or crouching, or in a position similar to the mummies of the Paracas culture.
The Moche did not consider that death was life's end. "Men continue living in another world sphere with their same obligations or privileges", indicates Walter Alva. This conception, which is frequent in several cultures of ancient Peru and in other parts of the world, explains why the dead appear buried with their goods and offerings. The status and the social hierarchy of the deceased Mochicas can be established by the way in which they have been buried. For example, the farmers, when dying, were wrapped only with a blanket and were buried under a simple slab, whereas officials of high rank, like the Lord of Sipan, were buried with ostentatious clothing and hundreds of gold pieces around them.

THE COMPLEX
The archaeological monument of Huaca Rajada has an extension of 15 square kilometers and it is conformed by two pyramids of more than 35 meters high, separated only by a central space or terrace. These pyramidal structures are preceded towards the east by a platform under which was found intact the funeral chamber of the Lord of Sipan.

WALTER ALVA CAJAMARCA, 1951.
Walter Alva was in charge of the restoration and conservation works in Huaca Rajada, when the discovery of 33 Mochican pieces was the first indication that in that complex a tomb of great importance was hidden. The excavations soon gave him the reason. On July 26th,1987, a team of archaeologists directed by Alva discovered the real tomb of Sipan. The news was spread by the prestigious magazine National Geographic and was a world-wide event. In a very short time, the Lord of Sipan became one of the most well known archaeological findings of the contemporary world.
Before the discovery, Alva had worked as an archaeological monument supervisor of the Lambayeque region (1975-1977). In merit to his work, Alva was recognized with the decoration of the Order of the Sun of Peru, with the honorary distinction of the German Archaeological Institute and the Medal of Honor of the Peruvian Congress. In 1997, he assumed the Direction of the Bruning National Archaeological Museum in Lambayeque. Currently, he is the director of the Museum of the Real Tombs of Sipan.

Paginas web:
- Museum Tumbas Reales de Sipan: http://www.tumbasreales.org
- Discovery Channel http://tudiscovery.com/mochica_chacha/index.shtml
- Other: http://sipan.perucultural.org.pe/index.htm / http://www.yachay.com.pe/especiales/sipan/

THE MUSEUM
On November 8th, 2002, the Museum of the Real Tombs of Sipan was inaugurated, in Chiclayo, which was destined to recreate the Sanctuary of the Lord of Sipan – together with all his ornaments, jewels, pottery and offerings that were found in the tomb, and the ones from other tombs of the Mochican royalty, like those of the great Priest and the Old Lord. The architecture of the museum, an imposing truncate pyramid of three floors built on a piece of land of seven hectares. It simulates the design of the Mochican sanctuaries. Its construction cost 3,5 million dollars. The money was obtained thanks to contributions from the Peruvian government (that contributed with two million) and the Counter Value Fund Peru-Switzerland (one million). The rest was obtained from what was collected in the exhibitions of archaeological pieces of the tomb of the Lord of Sipan, which took place in several cities in the United States and Europe.

IN THE WORLD
The traveling exhibition of the Lord of Sipan, which included a collection of 167 gold and ceramic pieces found in the tomb, began in the United States in 1993. The first presentation was made in the Fowler Museum of the University of California. After having remained there during one year, the samples were moved to the Museum of Beautiful Arts of Houston and later to the Museum of Natural History of New York, where it was visited daily by an average of two thousand people. Besides, the exhibition was taken to the Art Museum of Detroit and to the Smithsonian Institute of Washington. After this itinerary by the United States, the vestiges of the Lord of Sipan were presented in Chile, Japan, Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Finland, Portugal, Israel, South Korea, Ecuador, among other countries. In 2006, a collection of 83 pieces, including objects of gold, silver, golden copper and ceramic, were exposed during three months in the Archaeological Museum of Alicante, in Spain. "This is the most visited temporary exhibition that this museum has lodged", said the president of the Deputy congress of the province of Alicante, Jose Joaquin Ripoll.

The "Huacas" of the Sun and the Moon

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL COMPLEX OF THE HUACAS OF THE SUN AND THE MOON WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS CENTER OF THE CULTURE MOCHICA. THE TWO MAIN PYRAMIDS THAT CONFORM THIS COMPLEX RISE TO A HEIGHT THAT EXCEEDS THIRTY METERS. ON ITS WALLS, ARE PRECIOUS POLYCHROME MURALS WITH PAINTED ANIMALS AND DIVINITIES.

Data:
- The archeological complex of the Huacas of the Sun and the Moon

  was the capital of the Mochican culture between the centuries I

  and VII A.D.
- It is located in the district of Moche, five kilometers from the city of

  Trujillo.

STRUCTURE
The archaeological complex of the Huacas of the Sun and the Moon is located in the left shore of the Moche river and occupies a territory of sixty hectares. It is conformed by an urban establishment, a cemetery and the Huacas of the Sun and the Moon, two pyramids located face to face at a distance of five hundred meters. This important political and ceremonial center was abandoned during the collapse of the Mochican society, around the year 600 A.D., and later on, it was occupied by the cultures that succeeded them in the area: Sican and Chimu.

FIRST INVESTIGATIONS
Between 1899 and 1900, Max Uhle realized the first scientific investigations in the Huacas of the Sun and the Moon. He documented the presence of Mochican tombs in the foot of the Huaca of the Moon and the existence of a populated center located between both pyramids. In 1910, when he re-started his investigations, he discovered polychrome murals decorated with motives of different animals such as foxes and serpents and Mochican divinities in the Huaca of the Moon.

THE HUACA OF THE MOON
It is believed that this pyramid, which was found 42 corpses of young and adult individuals, was the main temple of the Mochicas. It is conformed by three platforms and four squares arranged at different levels. It is 290 meters long, 210 wide and 21 high. Its facade is decorated with beheaded spiders and monstrous serpents, symbols related to Mochican deities. On its beautiful polychrome murals, you can appreciate some scenes of cults, sacrifices and combats and also, a figure with feline characteristics of the supreme God Ai Apaec, to whom were offered victims to guarantee the earth's fertility.


THE HUACA OF THE SUN
This pyramid, of rectangular base, is the highest of the complex, consists of five terraces. It is enormous: it measures 345 meters long, 160 wide and 30 high. It was completely built with adobe. It is believed that administrative functions were carried out within it. During the Colonization, it was partially destroyed by treasure seekers. Currently, it is extremely damaged, and the rains, the sun and the wind have also contributed to its deterioration.

RESTORATION
Since 1991, investigation and conservation works took place in the complex. To date, the efforts have been concentrated in the Huaca of the Moon, the only one fitted for tourist purposes. The Peruvian archaeologist, Santiago Uceda, and the specialist in conservation, Ricardo Morales, direct this project that includes the support of the National University of Trujillo, the Huacas Patronage of the Moche valley and the INC. In January, 2006, the Huaca of the Moon received the International Prize, Queen Sofia, for the Conservation and Restoration of the Cultural Heritage that the Spanish government grants.

Web pages:
- Patronato Huacas del Valle de Moche: http://www.huacadelaluna.org.pe/huacadelaluna.asp
- Other: http://www.abc.es/especiales/index.asp?cid=7920

OTHER COMPLEXES
Another important archaeological site of the Mochican culture is "El Brujo" (the Witch) (in the photo), located in the valley of Chicama, La Libertad. It includes three great temples built with adobe which is highlighted by their beautiful mural paintings that represent soldiers and officials holding hands. Other complexes also stand out, like the Purgatorio, located in the district of Tucume in Lambayeque; Pacatnamu, in the valley of Jequetepeque, La Libertad, and Huaca Mollocope, in the valley of Chicama.

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