Extent of Moche territory in orange on the map of Peru, the four blue dots represent, from north to south, the sites Pampagrande, Sipan Moche and Paamarca.

The Moche culture (sometimes called Mochica) is a pre-Columbian culture that spread throughout the north coast of Peru , roughly between AD 100 and the year 700 AD It was contemporary culture Nazca occupying the south coast of Peru, ranging chronologically from the era Chavn (ancient horizon) and the era Chimu.

History

Birth of a "kingdom"

In the ^first century AD, different cultures shared the northern coast of Peru, all heirs of cultures Chavn and Cupisnique , the most notable being:

• the Vicus north, near the border with Ecuador
• the Salinar , located mainly in the valley of Moche
• the Viru , established in the valley of the same name, a few miles south of Salinar

The Moche culture is seen as a unification of these different cultures: first, two separate outbreaks seem to emerge almost simultaneously, around the year 100 AD: Moche and Sipan.

Foyer de Moche

In the Moche Valley (located in the current region of La Libertad ) at the foot of Cerro Blanco, culture Salinar quickly leaves room for the Moche. The city of Moche gaining importance with the start of construction of two buildings, the Huaca de la Luna and Huaca del Sol. These buildings, which were then only one floor, are already serving respectively Shrine and administrative center. The influence of this outbreak reached the Valley Viru at the expense of the culture of the same name.

Outbreak of Sipan

More or less parallel in the Lambayeque region further north, the center of Moche Sipan is also expanding, the city is gaining importance and high Moche dignitaries are buried in a remarkable funeral center.

The remoteness of these two centers already implies a good control of territory and therefore a military organization developed by the Moche, their kingdom was just formed it.

Military Conquests

We prepared the majority of military conquests during the Moche ^third century and ^fourth century. The boundaries were extended along the coast to the south, extending to the valleys of Chicama and Huarmey , and north to Piura , encroaching on the territory largely Vicus , likening these people as and when conquests. In their heyday, the Moche control a territory mostly coastal extending over 600 kilometers long. In addition to historical centers that are Sipan Moche and they build important military strongholds to maintain the boundaries: Pampagrande north and Paamarca south. It was during this period, around AD 300 that lived the Lord of Sipan.

Decline and end of the kingdom

It is the late Moche around the year 700. Assume that the situation has gradually deteriorated in the kingdom, who must cope with devastating floods of major rivers including the ro Moche because of the phenomenon El Nio , as well as earthquakes in rehearsal during the ^seventh century. Shortly after the decline of the Moche society, culture Sican developed on the same regions, and later still it was the turn of culture Chimu.

Organization and Society

Noble ugly ( American Museum , Madrid ).

Moche society was divided into classes and hierarchical: a powerful lord was the head of the kingdom, the power being transmitted probably by heredity. The most important classes were those of warriors, priests and administrators. Then came the merchants, craftsmen and builders, and fishermen, farmers, etc.. The urban layout of the town of Moche, for example, is typical of this organization, distributing habitats by quarter according to the classes and the importance of the classes depended on the distance to the Huaca del Sol (priests, warriors and administrators were Closest to the huaca).

Throughout the existence of the town of Moche, its people have continued to build both huacas: roughly every hundred years, the highest floor of the Huaca de la Luna was convicted, the corridors were filled and expanded Basically, building a new floor above the previous raising the ramp, so that only the new floor is still accessible. The disappearance of the Moche, the pyramid was 6 degrees and about 600 years old.

Assume that the government plan was ugly theocratic , the lord is also a priest. Cohesion of society, largely dependent on military force should be based on a powerful caste of warriors in the service of the theocracy.

Religion

The decapitator on a mural of the Huaca de la Luna.

The religious center was the Huaca de la Luna , where the priests and the Lord do all kinds of ceremonies. The main god was called Am Apaec, Creator but also "decapitator" (El Degollador in Spanish), which is found represented on many ceramics and paintings of temples. It often takes the form of a spider, or a winged creature or a sea monster. When the body is fully represented, seen always holding a knife in one hand, and the other a head by the hair. We think it's allusions to the rituals of human sacrifices performed on the Huaca de la Luna. The reality of that sacrifice is no doubt, many human bones have been found atop the Huaca.

Technologies

The Moche had a high level of technology in various fields, particularly in irrigation and metallurgy. They had managed to control the desert through a system of irrigation ingenious, diverting rivers and building canals. They could then develop an agricultural surplus, and hence even trade links with other surrounding peoples of the coast, the Andes and even from Amazon. The Moche also developed metallurgy techniques developed in relation to other Andean civilizations. They worked alloys of copper and silver, copper and gold, or bronze to make decorations, masks and jewelry but also farm tools and weapons. They had in particular a copper foil technique, which will remain more efficient than European techniques until the late ^eighteenth century.

Arts and Ceramics

Another pottery ugly. (Image PROMPERU, used with their permission)

The study of ceramics ugly is of fundamental importance since, not knowing the writing is through this that the Moche were left more information about their habits and customs. The Moche used molds to produce pottery in industrial quantities. However this does not prevent them from creating shapes, prints and paintings varied. Very neat, this ceramic art is easily distinguished from other pre-Columbian civilizations through the use of certain colors: paintings and sculptures often red and black on a cream background, and generally representing objects or scenes from everyday life: fruit, vegetables or animals, scenes of farming, fishing, metallurgy and weaving, erotic scenes, battle scenes or scenes of sacrifices. There are also many mythological scenes, including depictions of the god Apaec Am. Many potteries are also modeled with a human head or animal. The Moche art, influenced by the Chavin and the Cupisnique , however, mark a considerable improvement compared to previous crops. The scultpure and drawings are fine and realistic, sometimes adorned with mother of pearl, bone pieces, and even gold. In the last phase of the Moche culture, ceramics take a darker tone to black, preacher of the art Chimu.

The important people were sometimes carve their ceramic effigy. The "portraits" and found often show a specific expression such as laughter, anger, or reflection, undoubtedly reflecting the personality of their owner.

The discovery of vases representing people with distinctive Mongolian or African led some researchers to believe that the Moche had contact with Chinese people or black Africa. Yet no trace of artifact Moche has been discovered in these regions, nor Asian or African objects in the Andes. This theory remains largely hypothetical.

One generally distinguishes five phases or periods, each characterized by an artistic style that is predominantly found on the ceramics. According to this division, the first two phases correspond to the ^first century BC. BC and ^first century AD It is therefore not strictly speaking of the Moche culture, but cultures Vicus , Salinar and Gallinazo. Phases 3 and 4 extend the ^II to the ^V AD, and finally Phase 5 extends from the ^sixth to the eighth ^century.

Archaeology

Moche mummy.

Before the late ^nineteenth century , the various footprints were attributed to the Moche Chimu (or proto-Chimu). Moreover, the absence of writing in the Andean pre-Columbian makes more difficult the work of people of distinction. Huaqueros (huacas robbers) are probably responsible for an inestimable loss to the world heritage, and their action slows scientific progress. It was only in 1898 and 1899 that Max Uhle , German archaeologist, excavated the Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna and identified a culture distinct from other pre-Columbian cultures. In the late 1920s , the Peruvian archaeologist Julio Tello propose to call this civilization Moche or Mochica civilization, referring to the ancient language spoken on the northern coast of Peru, Muchik.
The excavations around the Huaca de la Luna continues. The buildings were partially covered by sand for centuries, so the research started with the tops of temples and carried from level to level to the base. These adobe buildings are still threatened by El Nio.
In 1987 , excavations conducted by Walter Alva in the Huaca Rajada revealed the tomb of the famous Lord of Sipan, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the past 40 years.

In 2009, the remains of the Lord of Ucupe are discovered. The face of former ruler, is emblematic of the Moche culture, is covered with a golden death mask, adorned with copper and shells .

List of Sites

Here is a list of key relics:

• The Huaca de la Luna and Huaca del Sol : respectively Temple of the Moon and the Sun Temple, however, these names have been invented by the colonists, but the Moche not worshiped the sun or the moon. There are two pyramids built unfinished degree in adobe , about 400 meters apart from each other and between which was once the principal city Moche.
• El Brujo is a site where there are three including two built by the Moche.
• The Huaca Rajada near Sipan tomb complex where is was discovered the Lord of Sipan. For some archaeologists, this discovery was the largest in Peru since the discovery of Machu Picchu.
• Chanquillo
• Pampagrande
• Paamarca

Museums

Museum "Tumbas Reales de Sipan", in Lambayeque.

The remarkable collections of Moche can be seen in many museums in Peru:

• The Museum Tumbas Reales de Sipan was recently built in the town of Lambayeque , and includes an impressive collection of objects found in tombs of Sipan, including the famous "Lord of Sipan". It is led by Walter Alva , the origin of this discovery. The museum also offers a comprehensive view of the Moche culture.
• The Museo de la Nacion in Lima.
• The Museo Larco in Lima , which also contains a gallery of erotic pottery.
• The Museo Brning of Lambayeque gathers some valuables Moche, and other crops in the region.

Bibliography

• Nicholas Saunders , Ancient Americas - the great civilizations, Sutton Publishing, Thrupp ( UK ), 2004.

References

See also

• Archaeological Discoveries
• Art of the Central Andes
• List of museums in Lima

External Links

• (En) Peru before the Incas : 13 min documentary on the Moche and Chimu cultures.
• (In) The Lost Civilisation of Peru : The Rise and Fall of the 'Greeks of the Andes'. Article about the documentary film produced by the BBC, which presents the very recent discoveries on this civilization, including its sudden disappearance.
• (En) (es) Huaca de la Luna Archaeological Project

• Archaeology portal
• Portal Pre-Columbian America
• Peru portal

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