Project

In 2001 WMF joined the Huaca de la Luna project initially sponsored by the Backus Foundation and other local partners. WMF provided matching funds to support a multi-year program whose goals were the conservation of the site and the development of a social agenda through cultural tourism. (...)

In 2001 WMF joined the Huaca de la Luna project initially sponsored by the Backus Foundation and other local partners. WMF provided matching funds to support a multi-year program whose goals were the conservation of the site and the development of a social agenda through cultural tourism. The project was organized into three major components: archaeological research, conservation (including professional training in earthen conservation), and management of the site. The conservation work included structural consolidation and cleaning, color and surface stabilization, drainage, protective covers, documentation, and monitoring of previously excavated and conserved areas. The work proposed for the 2009-2011 phase includes: conservation and interpretation of the temple façade and main plaza, creation of a research center for earthen architecture, organization of a workshop on protective covers, conservation training and the development of an integrated management plan to support the inscription of Huaca de la Luna as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On July 15, 2011, the first phase of a new tourist circuit through Huaca de la Luna was opened by Juan Ossio, Peru's Minister of Culture, and Marcela Pérez de Cuéllar, president of WMF's Peru Committee. The network of walkways, scheduled to be finished in 2015, will allow visitors to get up close to the fragile adobe structure.

The 2011 work season saw the completion of conservation work on the main façade of the temple facing the ceremonial plaza. In January 2012 an event was held to commemorate this milestone and showcase new discoveries, including an altar in the plaza.