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Who were the Moche?
The ancient Moche civilization of Peru existed long before the Inca. The Moche civilization, also known as the Early Chimu or Mochica culture, flourished from approximately 100 to 800 CE. Dominating the northern coast, the Moche came to be one of the most important groups in Peruvian history.
Where was the capital of the Moche civilization?
Its capital city, Moche, was located near modern-day Trujillo. Dominating the Chicama and Trujillo Valleys, the Moche civilization ultimately expanded up to the Piura Valley and down to the Huarmey Valley. A map of the Moche civilization’s location (in yellow).
What makes the Moche civilization so special?
Everything about the Moche Civilization was based on conquest, and building super structures really showed it. Their massive empire ranged from the Chicama and Trujillo Valleys, but after conquering other tribes also included the northern Piura Valley through the southern Huarmey Valley.
What are the three stages of the Moche civilization?
Early Intermediate (AD 100-550) North: Early and Middle Moche; South: Moche Phase I-III Middle Horizon (AD 550-950) N: Late Moche A, B, and C; S: Moche Phase IV-V, Pre-Chimu or Casma The Moche were a stratified society with a powerful elite and an elaborate, well-codified ritual process.
When did the Moche decline?
The period of decline began around the year 600 CE. There was not one single cause of the Moche civilization's collapse, but rather a combination of events.
What was the Moche civilization known for?
The Moche civilization of Peru is particularly known for its vibrant and naturalistic art in pottery and metalwork.
What religion did the Moche follow?
polytheisticThe Moche were polytheistic , or had many gods. The most powerful god in their religion was Si, the moon goddess . Since the moon was always visible, and controlled the seasons, Si was the most powerful god. In Moche religion, women could have an important role.
Why did the Moche civilization end?
The reasons for the demise of the Moche are unknown, but the civilization may have succumbed to earthquakes, prolonged drought, catastrophic flooding arising from the El Niño climatic anomaly, the encroachment of sand dunes on populated areas, or less-tangible social and cultural factors.
What language did the Moche speak?
Chimuan? Approximate extent of Mochica before replacement by Spanish. It is best known as the supposed language of the Moche culture, as well as the Chimú culture/Chimor.
Did the Moche build pyramids?
The Huaca del Sol is an adobe brick pyramid built by the Moche civilization (100 AD to 800 AD) on the northern coast of what is now Peru. The pyramid is one of several ruins found near the volcanic peak of Cerro Blanco, in the coastal desert near Trujillo at the Moche Valley.
What is the oldest civilization in Peru?
The CaralThe Caral or Norte Chico civilization of Peru is the oldest known civilization in the Americas, dating back to 3200 BCE.
What crops did the Moche grow?
Corn, beans, squash, avocado, guavas, chili peppers, and beans were grown by the Moche people; they domesticated llamas, guinea pigs, and ducks. They also fished and hunted plants and animals in the region, and traded lapis lazuli and spondylus shell objects from long distances.
Did the Moche build pyramids?
The Huaca del Sol is an adobe brick pyramid built by the Moche civilization (100 AD to 800 AD) on the northern coast of what is now Peru. The pyramid is one of several ruins found near the volcanic peak of Cerro Blanco, in the coastal desert near Trujillo at the Moche Valley.
What type of government did the Moche civilization have?
They had a hierarchical government and social structure. At the top were the royal family and warrior priests, who made most of the government decisions and controlled the Moche religion, which relied on human sacrifice.
What did the Moche trade?
So, what trade the Moche did engage in was largely to exchange works of art, weapons, and other goods. The Moche were master craftsmen and created elaborate ceramic sculpture and other artwork. They had large quantities of gold and silver and Moche artisans worked well in these mediums.
What is the oldest civilization in Peru?
The CaralThe Caral or Norte Chico civilization of Peru is the oldest known civilization in the Americas, dating back to 3200 BCE.
When did Moche culture begin?
Moche history may be broadly divided into three periods – the emergence of the Moche culture in Early Moche (100–300 AD), its expansion and florescence during Middle Moche (300–600 AD), and the urban nucleation and subsequent collapse in Late Moche (500–750 AD).
Where did the Moche civilization live?
e. The Moche civilization ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmotʃe]; alternatively, the Mochica culture or the Early, Pre- or Proto- Chimú) flourished in northern Peru with its capital near present-day Moche, Trujillo, Peru from about 100 to 700 AD during the Regional Development Epoch.
What did the Moche people use to weave?
The Moche wove textiles, mostly using wool from vicuña and alpaca. Although there are few surviving examples of this, descendants of the Moche people have strong weaving traditions.
What color is Moche pottery?
The coloration of Moche pottery is often simple, with yellowish cream and rich red used almost exclusively on elite pieces. White and black are rarely used. The Moche are known for their portraiture pottery. The pottery portraits created by the Moche appear to represent actual individuals. Many of the portraits are of individuals with physical disfigurements or genetic defects.
What was Moche society?
Moche society was agriculturally based, with a significant level of investment in the construction of a network of irrigation canals for the diversion of river water to supply their crops. Their culture was sophisticated; and their artifacts express their lives, with detailed scenes of hunting, fishing, fighting, sacrifice, ...
Why is Moche important?
Because irrigation was the source of wealth and foundation of the empire, the Moche culture emphasized the importance of circulation and flow. Expanding upon this, Moche artwork frequently depicted the passage of fluids, particularly life fluids through vulnerable human orifices.
What are the two regions of Moche?
Two distinct regions of the Moche civilization have been identified, Southern and Northern Moche, with each area probably corresponding to a different political entity.
Why did the Moche civilization die?
The reasons for the demise of the Moche are unknown, but the civilization may have succumbed to earthquakes, prolonged drought, catastrophic flooding arising from the El Niño climatic anomaly , the encroachment of sand dunes on populated areas, or less-tangible social and cultural factors.
What did the Moche do?
Painted scenes on some vessels have yielded an understanding of ceremonial and everyday life in the Moche culture, including the sacrifice of prisoners-of-war and the ritual consumption of their blood. The Moche also were skilled metalworkers who in their jewelry used chemical means to electroplate gold and silver.
Where is the Moche burial chamber?
Moche: burial chamber. Moche burial chamber at Huaca Cao Viejo in El Brujo archaeological complex, near Trujillo, Peru.
Where is the tomb of a Moche warrior?
In 1987 archaeologists excavated a site called Huaca Rajada, near the village of Sipán in the Lambayeque valley, and uncovered the elaborate, jewelry-filled tomb of a Moche warrior-priest. Several more burial chambers containing the remains of Moche royalty were soon excavated, all dating from about 300 ce.
Where did the Moche people get their name?
The name is taken from the great site of Moche, in the river valley of the same name, which appears to have been the capital or chief city of the Moche peoples. Their settlements extended along the hot, arid coast of northern Peru from the Lambayeque River valley south for more than 215 miles (350 km) to the Nepeña River valley. ...
What were the pre-Columbian civilizations?
pre-Columbian civilizations: The northern coast. …valleys of Pacasmayo, Chicama, and Moche on the northern Peruvian coast. A large proportion of this area has been grouped by archaeologists into a Moche culture, although some of the territory encompassed by these valleys was not part of the polity called Moche.
Where is the Moche water bottle?
Moche (Mochica) stirrup-spouted water bottle, c. 250–500 ce; in the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, New York City.
Where was the capital of Moche?
The Northern Moche capital was at Sipan; the southern at the Huacas de Moche, where the Huaca de la Luna and Huaca del Sol are the anchor pyramids.
What is the Moche culture?
AD 100-750) was a South American society, with cities, temples, canals, and farmsteads located along the arid coast in a narrow strip between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains of Peru. The Moche or Mochica are perhaps best known for their ceramic art: their pots include life-sized portrait heads ...
What were the structures of Moche society?
In addition to the canals and aqueducts, architectural elements of Moche society included large monumental pyramid-shaped architecture called huacas which were apparently partly temples, palaces, administrative centers, and ritual meeting places . The huacas were large platform mounds, built of thousands of adobe bricks, and some of them towered hundreds of feet above the valley floor. On top of the tallest platforms were large patios, rooms and corridors, and a high bench for the seat of the ruler.
How many Huacas were there in Moche?
Most of the Moche centers had two huacas, one larger than the other. Between the two huacas could be found the Moche cities, including cemeteries, residential compounds, storage facilities and craft workshops.
What was the Moche economy?
Moche Politics and Economy. The Moche were a stratified society with a powerful elite and an elaborate, well-codified ritual process. The political economy was based on the presence of large civic-ceremonial centers that produced a wide range of goods which were marketed to rural agrarian villages.
Why are Moche so famous?
While the Moche did not leave a written record (they may have used the quipu recording technique that we have yet to decipher), the Moche ritual contexts and their daily lives are known because of excavations and detailed study of their ceramic, sculptural and mural art.
What is Moche art?
The Moche or Mochica are perhaps best known for their ceramic art: their pots include life-sized portrait heads of individuals and three-dimensional representations of animals and people.
Moche Civilization Location
The Moche civilization was located in the northern coastal region of Peru. Its capital city, Moche, was located near modern-day Trujillo. Dominating the Chicama and Trujillo Valleys, the Moche civilization ultimately expanded up to the Piura Valley and down to the Huarmey Valley.
History of the Moche
The Moche thrived from approximately 100-800 CE. During their several hundred year reign, they made quite a mark on the history of Peru. While there is no written record of the Moche civilization, scientists have determined much about this culture through their artifacts and archaeological research.
The Moche Culture
This culture is best known for their intricately decorated ceramics, goldwork, and monumental constructions known as huacas.
Moche Economy
The Moche irrigation system was extremely efficient. As the economy relied heavily on agriculture and internal trading relationships, the irrigation system ensured their entire region had water for their crops. As a result, this prevented internal conflict over resources.
Moche Political Structure
Although this is a topic of much debate, most scholars believe that the Moche were not a monolithic state or empire. Instead, researchers believe that they were a group that shared a common elite culture, depicted in the iconography and architecture that still survives today.
Women in Moche Society
Recent excavations and discoveries have shown that women held an elite role in ruling the Moche civilization. The idea that men exclusively ruled the culture has been discounted after several prominent female skeletons were exhumed from opulent burial chambers.
Moche Archaeological Sites
While studies and excavations continue at several archaeological sites, the following are top Moche sites to see in Peru.
What was the Moche civilization based on?
Everything about the Moche Civilization was based on conquest, and building super structures really showed it. Their massive empire ranged from the Chicama and Trujillo Valleys, but after conquering other tribes also included the northern Piura Valley through the southern Huarmey Valley.
Who did most of the governing in the Moche civilization?
The royal families lived apart from everyone else in the pyramids and massive courtyards that surrounded them, but the warrior priests did most of the governing in the Moche civilization.
What was the Moche economy?
Moche Economy. The Moche economy was a well-oiled machine. The Moche presided over an empire that was extremely rich in natural resources. Their artisan class thrived due to the mineral wealth the civilization enjoyed, and these artisans created works of art that rival any of the native tribes of South America.
What was the Moche government?
The Moche Government and Social Structure. The Moche government and social structure were hierarchical and very organized. It was split between the northern and southern regions of their lands.
What were the top classes of the Moche government?
The top class of the government and Moche society were the warrior priests who controlled both warfare and the Moche religion as holy men. As the empire expanded and other tribes were defeated, the Moche warrior priests were given high praise and veneration for their military success.
How did the Moche religion and Conquest relate?
Conquest and the Moche religion were connected to each other in other ways as well. Their religion relied on human or blood sacrifice, and those taken in battle were often used for this purpose.
Why did the Moche need a developed and organized economy?
In order to fight wars of conquest, build huge cities, and erect massive monuments, the Moche needed a developed and organized economy, government, and social structure. Let's discuss their organization and see how they were able to become one of the most important native cultures of the Americas.
Where did the sacrifices of the Moche take place?
Email. Human-sacrifice rituals at an ancient Moche temple in Peru likely featured the killing of war captives from distant valleys, according to an analysis of bones and teeth at the site. The human remains—mutilated, dismembered, and buried in pits—help explain territorial struggles among the Moche, who ruled Peru's arid coast from around 100 A.D.
Where are the Moche ruins?
Among the largest-known Moche ruins is the brick mound site of Huacas de Moche, located near the modern-day city of Trujillo, Peru. The mound consists of three platforms connected by corridors, plazas, and temples. Roughly 70 sacrifice victims have been found there so far—an indication of frequent human offerings.
How many people lived in Huacas de Moche?
In the heyday of Huacas de Moche, around 600 A.D., perhaps 25,000 people lived there. Two large temples, the Huaca de la Luna (Temple of the Moon) and the Huaca del Sol (Temple of the Sun), sat atop the mound.
What is sacrifice in Moche?
Sacrifice ceremonies are depicted in Moche artwork, often showing the killing of bound, naked men. Priests and priestesses are portrayed offering goblets filled with the victims' blood to supernatural beings.
How many people were buried in the sacrifice?
The sacrifice victims' bones were then left for vultures. Victims From Far Away. The new report is the result of work on the remains of 34 people, some buried in neatly ordered graves and others in burial pits, the latter including young men with their throats slit and bones dismembered.
What happened to the sacrificial victims?
The sacrificial victims were killed, displayed, and later swept into pits.
Did the Moche trade princess brides?
That points to a "patrilocal" system for the Moche, suggesting that they traded "princess brides" between centers, Verano says. "Not so different from now in some places."
Overview
Material culture
Moche pottery is some of the most varied in the world. The use of mold technology is evident, which would have enabled the mass production of certain forms. But Moche ceramics vary widely in shape and theme, with most important social activities documented in pottery, including war, metalwork, weaving, and erotica.
Background
Moche society was agriculturally based, with a significant level of investment in the construction of a sophisticated network of irrigation canals for the diversion of river water to supply their crops. Their artifacts express their lives, with detailed scenes of hunting, fishing, fighting, sacrifice, sexual encounters, and elaborate ceremonies. The Moche are particularly noted for their elaborately painted ceramics, gold work, monumental constructions (huacas), and irrigation syste…
Southern and Northern Moche
Two distinct regions of the Moche civilization have been identified, Southern and Northern Moche, with each area probably corresponding to a different political entity.
The Southern Moche region, believed to be the heartland of the culture, originally comprised the Chicama and Moche valleys, and was first described by Rafael Larco Hoyle. The Huaca del Sol-Huaca de la Luna site was probably the capital of this region.
Religion
Both iconography and the finds of human skeletons in ritual contexts seem to indicate that human sacrifice played a significant part in Moche religious practices. These rites appear to have involved the elite as key actors in a spectacle of costumed participants, monumental settings and possibly the ritual consumption of blood. The tumi was a crescent-shaped metal knife used in sac…
Social stratification
Although it remains somewhat unclear how geographically divided Moche culture was, scholars are very confident that the Moche were a socially divided society. Beyond royalty, the Moche can be divided into a general upper and lower class, and each class can be further stratified into smaller groups. Intra-class movement was possible within these broad categories, but inter-class switches between them were less feasible. Many pre-contact cultures share a divided structure …
Collapse
There are multiple theories as to what caused the demise of the Moche political structure. Some scholars have emphasized the role of environmental change. Studies of ice cores drilled from glaciers in the Andes reveal climatic events between 563 and 594 AD, possibly a super El Niño, that resulted in 30 years of intense rain and flooding followed by 30 years of drought, part of the aftermath of the climate changes of 535–536. These weather events could have disrupted the M…
Links with other cultures
Chronologically, the Moche was an Early Intermediate Period culture, which was preceded by the Chavín horizon, as well as the Cupisnique, and succeeded by the Huari and Chimú. The Moche co-existed with the Ica-Nazca culture in the south. They are thought to have had some limited contact with the Ica-Nazca because they later mined guano for fertilizer and may have traded with northerners. Moche pottery has been found near Ica, but no Ica-Nazca pottery has been found in …
Moche Chronology
Moche Politics and Economy
Moche Architecture
Moche Burials
Moche Violence
History of Moche Archaeology
- The Moche were first recognized as a distinct cultural phenomenon by archaeologist Max Uhle, who studied the site of Moche in the early decades of the 20th century. The Moche civilization is also associated with Rafael Larco Hoyle, the "father of Moche archaeology" who proposed the first relative chronology based on ceramics.
Sources
Moche Civilization Location
History of The Moche
- The Moche thrived from approximately 100-800 CE. During their several hundred year reign, they made quite a mark on the history of Peru. While there is no written record of the Moche civilization, scientists have determined much about this culture through their artifacts and archaeological research. Historians generally divide the history of the Mo...
The Moche Culture
Moche Economy
Moche Political Structure
Women in Moche Society
Moche Archaeological Sites
Discover The Moche Civilization