Weather changes recorded in the expansion rings of high Andean glaciers show that the seventh and sixth centuries BC were hard times for the residents of the northern Coast.
The Moche culture knew very well to fend off the negative effects of droughts and catastrophic rains. Still, the political consequences of those phenomena must have been severe for the Moche rulers. Indeed, several clues point to sudden mass movements of population on the northern limits of the Moche area of cultural influence, both in the Highlands and on the Coast, announcing the emergence of a new cultural phenomenon: the Wari civilization. Quickly emerging new capitals, located in strategic places and equally distant from critical irrigation and defense locations seem to fit into this context. In the Moche valley, for instance, rulers made a decision to build a large settlement around imposing pyramids. Galindo, as the site is called, is surrounded by walls probably for defense purposes. Between the sixth and eighth centuries of our era, Galindo undoubtedly achieved a greater political weight than the Sun and Moon temples. The Moche finally yielded to external pressure towards the end of the eighth century AD.
Viracochapampa is an architectural compound built to serve administrative functions in the Wari empire. Its size and design make it similar to Pikillaqta in Cuzco and Azangaro in Ayacucho. Walls about 2 meters high divide the large (581 x 574 meters at the base) trapezoidal area into squares, open areas and courtyards of carefully planned architecture.
Typically, the courtyards are surrounded on three sides by covered archways while the fourth arch-way leads to a rectangular room with niches on the walls. There has been with niches on the walls. There have been many debates about the function of this layout. The similarity with Greek, Roman and Renaissance urban layout led to believe these were also cities of the same kind but recent excavations show that the sites had a very short permanent population, despite their large surface area. Instead, the planned modules prob-ably functioned as warehouses and lodging areas for the visitors who arrived to pay their tribute either in kind or in labor (the so called mita) An imposing aqueduct, 800 meters long, 16 meters wide and from 6 to 10 meters high, is prob-ably related to this remarkable administrative center. The waterway runs through the entire La Cuchilla flatlands, the granaries and circular warehouses at Amaro Mountain and the monu-mental mausoleum at Marca Huamchuco. Evidence found in the region points to an independent cultural development antedating the Wari occupation which does not seem to have been very long (600 to 800 BC), because Viracochapampa was never finished. Although the ceramic and architectural findings leave no doubt about its relationship to Ayacucho.
