Two thousand years ago a mysterious and little known civilization ruled the northern coast of Peru. Its people were called the Moche. They built huge and bizarre pyramids that still dominate the surrounding countryside; some well over a hundred feet tall. Many are so heavily eroded they look like natural hills; only close up can you see they are made up of millions of mud bricks. Several of the pyramids, known as 'huacas', meaning sacred site in the local Indian dialect, contain rich collections of murals depicting both secular and sacred scenes from the Moche world. Others house the elaborate tombs of Moche leaders. Out in the desert, archaeologists have also found the 2,000-year-old remains of an extensive system of mud brick aqueducts which enabled the Moche to tame their desert environment. Many are still in use today. Indeed there are signs that the Moche irrigated a larger area of land than farmers in Peru do now. But who were the Moche? How did they create such an apparently successful civilization in the middle of the desert, what kind of a society was it, and why did it disappear? For decades it was one of the greatest archaeological riddles in South America. But now at last, scientists are beginning to come up with answers.

Episode Viewers and Ratings

Season 41 Episode 16 of Horizon resulted in a 0.00 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Horizon Season 41 Episodes...

• s41e01 - Tsunami: Naming The Dead
• s41e02 - The Hawking Paradox
• s41e03 - The Mystery of the Human Hobbit
• s41e04 - The Doctor Who Makes People Walk Again
• s41e05 - Could Fish Make My Child Smart
• s41e10 - Space Tourists
• s41e11 - Waiting for a Heartbeat
• s41e12 - A War on Science
• s41e13 - The Lost City of New Orleans
• s41e14 - Most of Our Universe Is Missing
• s41e16 - The Lost Civilisation of Peru
• s41e17 - The Next Megaquake
• s41e18 - Does The MMR Jab Cause Autism

Horizon Show Summary

Horizon is BBC Two's flagship 50-minute science documentary series.

Recognised as the world leader in its field, it regularly wins a sweep of international science, medical and environmental film accolades, and has recently won the Royal Television Society Award and the Prix Italia.

In 2002, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts presented Horizon with the BAFTA Television Award for Best Factual Series or Strand.

In 2003 it won the prestigious Images et Science award for best medical documentary and the Carl von Linne Award at the Living Europe film festival in Sweden. That year, a Horizon co-production with WGBH Boston won the Emmy for best documentary.

In September 2014 it celebrated its 50th anniversary and it continues to enjoy outstanding critical acclaim.