Huaca Cortada, Archaeological complex in Magdalena de Cao District, Peru.

Huaca Cortada is a stepped adobe pyramid of the Moche culture in the El Brujo complex, measuring 103 m long, 98 m wide and 22 m high, covering about 10,000 m². A single deep trench 45 m long and 5 m wide cuts into the center of its south facade, almost splitting the structure in two and giving it the name "Cortada" (cut).

Huaca Cortada was built during the Moche period (200–750 CE) as part of the El Brujo complex, a ceremonial and administrative centre controlling the Chicama valley. It was abandoned around 650, shortly before a strong El Niño event whose torrential rains damaged the monument. The deep trench splitting its south facade, 45 m long and 5 m wide, was probably dug by huaqueros searching for treasures, not by brick extraction.

The walls display polychrome high-relief friezes showing Moche artistic traditions from the monument's earliest construction phases.

The structure lies within the El Brujo archaeological complex and is accessible to visitors through organized tours from the city of Trujillo. With some planning, the site can be conveniently explored as part of a larger visit to this region.

The 45-metre-long, 5-metre-wide trench that nearly splits the south facade in two was probably dug by huaqueros, looters searching for treasure, not by brick robbers. Archaeologists used this same cut to read the pyramid's construction sequence, identifying five rebuilding phases labelled Buildings A to E.