Lady of Cao documentary on the big screen

November 17, 2008

Scenes from Lord of Sipán

A village with royal palaces, pyramids and temples of worship will be built in the Chicama valley. But this time it will not be to house people of the Moche culture, as was the case 1700 years ago, but to shoot the film of the Lady of Cao, a female ruler of pre-Columbian Peru.

The filming, being carried out by the Spanish company Explora Films (who also filmed the documentary of the Lord of Sipán), will start next March with the participation of more than 400 extras, who are being selected according to physical traits characteristic of the Moche.

Recreating the mausoleum housing the tomb of the sovereign meant decorating it with pre-Columbian paintings, drawings and geometric representations of their deities.

The following months will be devoted to the reconstruction of the Moche village and its sacred precincts, as well as the recreation of the stunning pieces of jewellery and metallic ornaments of the highest quality that helped the deceased on her long journey to the world of the spirits.

Also recreated will be the ceremonial plaza of Cao, with polychrome murals representing a line of prisoners tied up and walking towards the figure of the highest deity, the Great Decapitator. Filming will bring to life scenes regarding issue of human sacrifice and the peoples fascinating religion.

The film will also include scenes of the excavations that are taking place on site and unpublished images of the Lady of Cao, whose mummy was discovered in 2005.

Jose Manuel Novoa of Explora Films explained that the scripts for the film are completed and ready they are ready to begin on set.

He added that in the next five years their work on the Lord of Sipan and the Lady of Cao Peru will be seen by more than 900 million people, constituting a major tourist opportunity for the country, especially since the discovery of these royal tombs are widely agreed to be among the most important of modern archaeology.