Virú domestic and ceremonial occupation (50 BC– AD 450-500) in Huanchaco bay, Moche valley, north coast of Peru

Abstract

This article presents the study of daily and ceremonial activities in a fishing settlement in the Moche Valley during the early part of the Early Intermediate Period (50 BC – 450/500 AD). The article offers an analysis of the impact of these activities under the political and religious domain of the Virú society in the site of Pampa La Cruz and Jose Olaya – Iglesia Colonial de Huanchaco. The result of the excavations in residential and ceremonial areas is described and compared with contemporary sites on the north coast and specifically with those of the Moche valley, in order to offer a broader perspective of the social dynamics and economic interactions during the first century of our era until shortly before the political and religious dominance of the Moche society in the same region.