In the year 2009, the 5000 year old archaeological city of Caral-Supe was inscribed on the World Heritage list, 3800 years after it was abandoned. According to ICOMOS the Caral-Supe urban planning and architecture had an impact on the Peruvian coast for centuries after its decline.

In this thesis I identify and discuss the influences from Caral-Supe on the architecture in the civilizations of Nasca and Moche, which existed 2000 years later. Nasca and Moche were completely different from each other, both socially, politically an in terms of their architecture.

Nasca was a relatively equalitarian society which most famous architecture are the great landscape drawings known as geoglyphs. Moche was a highly socially differentiated society with a high level of economic specialization. Their most impressive architecture are the complex craftsmen’s compounds and burial monuments which were used for the performance of human sacrifice.

Nasca and Moche inherited architecture with added values which were useful or compatible within the two cultures respectively, values which were a part of the development of the two cultures. My study describe and how cultural heritage transcend from one culture to another, and discuss which role the cultural heritage has within the use of architecture for political or economic purposes, and how cultural heritage in itself is a reason that a culture stop using certain architecture.

The material for this study consists of archaeological records, mostly from the recent 20 years excavations and surveys.