The Huaca La Esmeralda is an archaeological building belonging to the
Chimu
Chimor (also Kingdom of Chimor or Chimú Empire) was the political grouping of the Chimú culture. The culture arose about 900 AD, succeeding the Moche culture, and was later conquered by the Inca emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui around 1470, fifty y ...
culture, is located in the
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
vian city of
Trujillo. It is estimated that the adobe construction was done during the first stage of development of the Chimu culture, in close link with the capital
Chan Chan
Chan Chan was the largest city of the pre-Columbian era in South America. It is now an archaeological site in La Libertad Region west of Trujillo, Peru.
Chan Chan is located in the mouth of the Moche Valley and was the capital of the historic ...
. It occupies an area of approximately 2,600 square meters.
Chimú shrine
It is said the Huaca La Esmeralda could have been the palace of a great Chimú lord of the Mansiche area. Its architecture has three terraces adorned with
zoomorphic
The word ''zoomorphism'' derives from the Greek ζωον (''zōon''), meaning "animal", and μορφη (''morphē''), meaning "shape" or "form". In the context of art, zoomorphism could describe art that imagines humans as non-human animals. It c ...
and geometric figures (diamonds) all in relief, has a fairly steep ramp that connects its two levels.
''Huaca'' meaning ceremonial cup. Huaca La Esmeralda translates as the ceremonial cup of Esmeralda. With little archaeological study done at this site, it seems unclear as to who Esmeralda was and how it was given that name.
See also
*
Iperu, tourist information and assistance
*
Tourism in Peru
Since the 2000s, Tourism in Peru makes up the nation's third largest industry, behind fishing and mining. Tourism is directed towards archaeological monuments, ecotourism in the Peruvian Amazon, cultural tourism in colonial cities, gastronomi ...
*
Huaca del Sol
The Huaca del Sol is an adobe brick pyramid built by the Moche civilization (100 AD to 800 AD) on the northern coast of what is now Peru. The pyramid is one of several ruins found near the volcanic peak of Cerro Blanco, in the coastal des ...
*
Chan Chan
Chan Chan was the largest city of the pre-Columbian era in South America. It is now an archaeological site in La Libertad Region west of Trujillo, Peru.
Chan Chan is located in the mouth of the Moche Valley and was the capital of the historic ...
*
Huaca del Dragón
References
Further reading
*Kubler, George. (1962). ''The Art and Architecture of Ancient America'', Ringwood: Penguin Books Australia Ltd., pp. 247–274
External links
Location of Huaca Esmeralda in Trujillo city (Wikimapia)UNESCO World Heritage Center: Chan ChanChan Chan information Heavy Rains Threaten Ancient City in Northern PeruArchaeologists Restore High Adobe Walls in Ancient Chimu City of Chan Chan
{{coord, 8.1046, S, 79.0474, W, source:wikidata, display=title
Former populated places in Peru
Archaeological sites in Trujillo, Peru
Archaeological sites in Peru