Abstract

MORALES GAMARRA, Ricardo. Prehispanic earthen architecture: conservation and social use in the "huacas de moche" project, Peru. Apuntes [online]. 2007, vol.20, n.2, pp.256-277. ISSN 1657-9763.

The Archaeological Project Huaca de la Luna (Sacred Temple of the Moon) is organized into four areas: archaeology, conservation, social use, and community development, each based on a responsible social and environmental policy compatible with the academic and scientific level suitable for this type of intervention. The article presents the results of an investigative process begun in 1991 that will continue until 2016 under a program based on a Management and Conservation Plan created last year. It explains how an interdisciplinary team led by an archaeologist and a preservationist, conscious of their ethical and professional roles and responsibilities, together plan, implement, and evaluate their intervention at a pre Inca cultural resource constructed of earth (or adobe), with intensely colored polychromatic painted walls exposed to severe environmental, social and economic conditions that affect its geohistorical integrity. In this context, a novel experience for Peru is presented, a management alternative that proposes responsible management of the environment as a pre-requisite for conservation of the archaeological monument; implementation of a conservation process with minimal intervention, respectful of the authenticity of the site; and administration of a growing and worrying flow of tourists. These elements, taken together, require an integrated study in order to determine the carrying capacity of these fragil structures and earthen walls.

Keywords : Peruvian prehispanic temple; architectural surfaces; conservation; interdisciplinary; authenticity and environment management.

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