Investigations at the site of Huacas de Moche—also referred to as Huacas del Sol and de la Luna—on the north coast of Peru show a continuous occupational sequence from around AD 100 to 1500. The longest occupation corresponds to the Moche culture from around AD 100 to 850. Based on available archaeological evidence, this article examines the impact of an El Niño-like event in AD 600 on the history of Huacas de Moche. Widely held hypotheses assumed that this kind of climatic event caused the abandonment of the site; however, such explanations do not fit the current data. After almost three decades of research, archaeological evidence indicates that after the El Niño-like phenomenon of AD 600, the Old Temple of Huaca de la Luna was closed down, and the New Temple was built toward the east of the previous one, on the same slope of Cerro Blanco. Furthermore, on the opposite side of the site, the building called Huaca del Sol experienced its last and greatest architectural expansion, becoming a large-scale palace. These new lines of evidence lead us to reassess the effect that the El Niño-like phenomenon of AD 600 had on the development of the Moche culture at the site.

The analysis of traumatic injuries provides bioarchaeologists with unique insight into patterns of violence among past human societies. This analysis explores antemortem and perimortem skeletal trauma and what it suggests about the experiences of violence among the Moche of north coastal Peru (A.D. 200–900). Violence among the Moche has been well documented, both by the Moche themselves in their iconographic communications and through the analysis of the skeletal remains of those they sacrificed. These sources provided us with an incomplete view. What has not been studied are the patterns of traumatic injury that affect those who were not among the sacrificed and what these patterns can tell us about the risk of violence among other Moche dead. To this end, the skeletal remains of 96 individuals interred in the Huacas de Moche site were examined. Excavations at this paramount urban centre have recovered remains from tombs located in two distinct contexts, Huaca de la Luna and the urban sector. Given the material investment made into the construction of Huaca de la Luna and its ritual importance particularly as a space where violence was enacted and memorialized, it is hypothesized that those buried within its precincts would have different lived experiences of skeletal trauma than those buried throughout the urban sector. This work finds that although both groups experienced very little accidental trauma, individuals buried in Huaca de la Luna experienced significantly more trauma resulting from interpersonal violence than did those interred in the urban sector. This may suggest that variation in risk of violence was among the biosocial distinctions that defined these groups.

Augmented reality (AR) applied to cultural heritage intends to improve the learning experience in archaeological sites, not only for visitants but also for researchers. 3D Pose estimation is a common problem in applications for AR, object recognition, 3D modeling, among others. AR systems use different methods to estimate the camera pose: edge detection and key-point detection among others. The choice of the method to be used depends on the features of the scenario to be detected. In this work, a comparison study of the main 3D model-based pose estimation methods is performed. In addition, we present the implementation and validation of a pose estimation algorithm, oriented to the initialization of an AR system applied to "Huaca de la Luna", an adobe brick pyramid built by the Moche civilization in the northern Peru. The proposed algorithm presents two phases, a training phase, where 3D key-points are extracted from a reference image, and a detection phase, where the initialization process is performed by comparing 2D/3D points correspondence using a PnP algorithm. We have compared four variations of the 3D pose estimation algorithm using different methods: SIFT and SURF descriptors for key-point description and EPnP and REPPnP algorithms for PnP pose estimation. Results show a translation error of 1.54 cm, with a mean processing time of 2.78 s, a maximum re-projection error of 1.5 pixels and a successful estimation rate of 100% in scenarios with normal and high light conditions.

•Engineering diagnosis was performed in an earthen archaeological complex.•Interdisciplinary engineering approach helped understand cause of historical damage.•ND/MD and laboratory tests were used for material and soil characterization.•Experimental results and 3D scanning were integrated for performing predictive FEA.•Nonlinear FEA of pyramid and foundation helped explain causes of structural damage.

The paper deals with the mechanical characterization of the materials that composes the structural system of the archaeological earthen complex of ‘Huaca de la Luna’ in Perú (100–900A.D.). The mechanical characterization was carried out through uniaxial compression, three-point bending and splitting tests. The results indicate differences in bricks and mortar samples in strength capacity and elastic stiffness in compression, as well as differences in rupture modulus and diametric compression strength. The study contributes to understand the linear and nonlinear behavior of archaeological earthen materials and structures and provides reference values for the structural assessment of similar buildings and monuments.

Patronato Huacas del Valle Moche; Proyecto Piloto de Evaluacion del Estado Estructural Actual y Comportamiento Sismico del Complejo Arqueologico Moche Huaca de la Luna, Direccion de Gestion de la Investigacion (DGI PUCP), ref. 89-2014

This article presents an experimental and numerical study for the mechanical characterization under uniaxial compressive loading of the adobe masonry of one of the most emblematic archaeological complex in Peru, 'Huaca de la Luna' (100-650AD). Compression tests of prisms were carried out with original material brought to the laboratory. For measuring local deformations in the tests, displacement transducers were used which were complemented by a digital image correlation system which allowed a better understanding of the failure mechanism. The tests were then numerically simulated by modelling the masonry as a continuum media. Several approaches were considered concerning the geometrical modelling, namely 2D and 3D simplified models, and 3D refined models based on a photogrammetric reconstruction. The results showed a good approximation between the numerical prediction and the experimental response in all cases. However, the 3D models with irregular geometries seem to reproduce better the cracking pattern observed in the tests.

Huacas del Sol y de la Luna is a multidisciplinary project located in the north coast of Peru. It is built on a foundation of strategic alliances between public educational institutions such as Universidad Nacional de Trujillo and private businesses such as the Backus Corporation. The project’s components are archaeological excavation, conservation, and local economic development through its capacity to influence tourist activity. In this way, its activities transmit new knowledge, make sites sustainable, and create an adequate infrastructure to allow site visits without damage. It also sponsors media campaigns in national and international markets to enhance the awareness of tourist attractions. The development of opportunities for the local population involves working with the producers of handicrafts and the owners of restaurants in the Moche countryside. The project has had a direct impact on the local population by creating more than 180 new jobs and more than 500 indirect ones; at the same time, the project serves as a training space for young local and international professionals in the fields of archaeology, conservation, and tourism.

This paper presents results of geotechnical and geophysical tests carried out at Huaca de la Luna, which is one of the most important adobe archaeological complexes in Peru. This complex is located at the north coast of Peru just south of the city of Trujillo. This huaca is a massive earthen structure in the form of a stepped pyramid, occupying an area of approximately 8200 m(2) and with an approximate height of 21 m, built by the Moche civilization from 100 AD to 650 AD. Archaeological and conservation works are being carried out at this site since the beginning of the 90s. An ongoing research project led by the last two authors has revealed some fissures and cracks in adobe walls and columns in some areas of the huaca particularly close to the northern facade of the structure. This identified damage has motivated the geotechnical and geophysical investigation summarized in this paper. To characterize the foundation soils of the areas of interest of the huaca a series of Multichannel Analyses of Surface Waves (MASW) and seismic cone penetration tests (SCPTu) have been carried out. These tests were performed primarily to develop a generalized geotechnical profile and estimate engineering properties. The results of SCPTu tests showed that near the North facade practical cone refusals occurred at depths ranging between 6 and 12 m which provides evidence of a sloping competent foundation layer which seems consistent with the observed slope of the granite outcrops of the adjacent granite rock Cerro Blanco hill which is located just to the east of the Huaca. The paper discusses the shear wave velocity profiles from the MASW and SCPTu tests which in general were found to be in good agreement. The analyses of the results of these tests indicate that the sloping bedrock layer is shallower as we move to the east from the NW corner. Further structural and geotechnical studies are being carried out for assessing the pattern and magnitude of foundation settlements near the NW corner of this monument which is where most of the structural damage has been observed.

This paper presents the first round of on-site investigations and numerical analysis applied to the archaeological complex of Huaca de la Luna, aiming at its structural assessment. The studied complex is a massive adobe construction located in Trujillo, a northern city of Peru, which was built by the Moche Civilization from 100 AD to 650 AD. An on-site survey based on laser scanning was conducted in order to generate solid models of the monument as geometric input for numerical structural analysis, and to perform an initial diagnosis based on the deformation pattern of representative structural elements. Operational modal analysis tests were performed on substructures of Huaca de la Luna in order to characterize the local dynamic properties. It was possible to identify the natural frequencies and mode shapes of representative structural elements, namely adobe columns, which were used as indicators to support the structural diagnosis. Based on the experimental results, the influence of geometrical simplifications in the meshing of finite element (FE) models of the columns was evaluated. Nonlinear static analysis was applied to FE models of the columns to identify the critical accelerations leading to collapse, as well as the influence of the columns pedestal on the lateral capacity. A FE model of the entire Huaca de la Luna was developed and a linear static analysis of the complex under gravity load was performed, in order to evaluate zones with particular concentration of static displacements. César Chácara, Fernando Zvietcovich, Carolina Briceño, Rui Marques, Renato Perucchio, Benjamin Castañeda, Santiago Uceda, Ricardo Morales, Rafael Aguilar 2

Los autores, directores del proyecto arqueologico del Sol y de la Luna y profesores de la Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, cuentan sobre el modelo de gestion publico-privado que hizo posible la puesta en valor de estos monumentos arqueologicos.

El proposito de la investigacion fue la valoracion de la calidad de la gestion en la Institucion Educativa Publica de nivel secundario Cartavio, 2011. Se trabajo con una poblacion-muestra de 10 docentes que forman parte del personal directivo y jerarquico los cuales fueron seleccionados de modo no probabilistico a criterio del investigador. Se utilizo los metodos empiricos de la medicion y la experimentacion que permitieron direccionar la recoleccion, presentacion y analisis de los datos. Asimismo, se aplico los metodos teoricos analitico-sintetico, inductivo-deductivo, estadistico y de la modelizacion. Luego de aplicado el instrumento basado en el enfoque sistemico a los elementos de la muestra se concluyo que el modelo de evaluacion basado en el enfoque sistemico permite valorar positivamente los diversos componentes del sistema educativo en la Institucion Educativa objeto de estudio.

Structural changes introduced during the life of monuments contribute to produce complex geometrical configurations that cannot be properly represented in standard solid modeling systems designed for current engineering applications such as finite element analysis (FEA). Likewise, point-based 3D meshes - laser-scanner or photogrammetric -, although capable of constructing detailed representation of surfaces, cannot be used for direct application in structural analysis because they do not produce complete and unambiguous solid models. To tackle this issue, we merged these two approaches into a unified methodology capable of updating a 3D solid model, representing the entire monument as reconstructed in its presumed original configuration, with information from a 3D mesh model containing a detailed geometrical description of the recent structural state of a specific sector of the same monument. The methodology is based on a series of functions that operate in the Mesh and Solid Modeling Space. The mesh model is aligned via 3D registration and, subsequently, segmented for its conversion to a solid model. Finally, this solid updates the solid representation of the entire monument via Boolean operations. We test the procedure on the Main Platform of the Huaca de la Luna, Trujillo, Peru, one of the most important massive earthen structures of the Moche civilization. Solid models are defined in AutoCAD while 3D meshes are constructed via the photogrammetric program Agisoft PhotoScan. The results indicate that the proposed methodology is effective at transferring complex geometrical and topological features from the mesh to the solid modeling space. The updated solid model can be represented and visualized in any standard CAD software, and utilized for FEA and augmented reality applications.

Neutron activation analysis has been used to characterize 60 metal objects from the Moche site, of which four are associated with the Chimú Period, two with the Early Chimú Period and the others with various Moche IV contexts. Different types of utilitarian and non‐utilitarian objects were analysed to identify the metals present, and to investigate their chemical composition and their eventual source. The results clearly indicate the distinction between Chimú and Moche artefacts and confirm the generalized opinion that arsenic bronze was popular after ad 900. They also indicate that gilding copper objects with gold was already a common practice during the Moche era.