  We present observations of continuum emission in the MIR to mm wavelength
range, complemented with ammonia observations, of the dense core ahead of the
radio Herbig Haro object HH 80N, found in the GGD 27 region. The continuum
emission in all the observed bands peaks at the same position, consistent with
the presence of an embedded object, HH 80N-IRS1, within the core. The
distribution of the VLA ammonia emission is well correlated with that of the
dust, suggesting that photochemical effects caused by the nearby Herbig Haro
object do not play an important role in shaping this particular molecular
emission. In order to unveil the nature of HH 80N-IRS1 we analyzed the
continuum data of this source, using self-consistent models of protostellar
collapse. We find that a young protostar surrounded by a slowly rotating
collapsing envelope of radius $\sim$0.08 pc and 20 \msun\ plus a circumstellar
disk of radius $\sim$300 AU and 0.6 \msun\ provide a good fit to the observed
spectral energy distribution and to the maps at 350 \micron, 1.2 mm and 3.5 mm
of HH 80N-IRS1. Besides, the APEX and PdBI continuum maps at 350 \micron\ and
3.5 mm, respectively, reveal additional clumps in the continuum emission. Given
the modeling results and the observed morphology of the emission, we propose a
scenario consisting of a central embedded Class 0 object, HH 80N-IRS1, with the
rest of material of the HH 80N core possibly undergoing fragmentation that may
lead to the formation of several protostars
