The Moche Civilization

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The Moche Civilization


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The Moche civilization thrived from

about 200 CE to 700 CE in three river

valleys, the Chicama, Moche, and Viru

in Northern Peru.The Moche civilization was not a

single unified empire, rather it was

smaller river temple societies that were

linked by their common pottery

making traditions and their religion.

Location of the

Moche


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Moche Pyramids HuacasThere were two main Huacas;

Huaca de la Sol (4 levels) and

Huaca de la Luna (3 levels)

They were 500 meters apart

and in between the two Huacas

were the villages of the Moche

Inside each Huaca containedelaborate murals with bright

colors

Murals were constantly being

refinished and repaintedPicture: Huaca de la Luna

Each Huaca contained its own courtyard with a ceremonial structure in the

center

The Huacas had different burial chambers separated by rank, with the most

important burials chambers being larger in size. Those of higher rank also had

human sacrifices placed in their chambers


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Huaca de la Luna

Found the remains of more then 70

people which had been

dismembered

All adult males between the ages of15 - 39

Bone testing led to the assumption

that they were warriors (only a

select group of people could bewarriors)

They would have been killed for

human sacrificePicture: remains found in huaca


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The Moche people used human sacrifice as part of their

religion in order to please their gods

There was no large scale warfare, during battle the Moche

tried not to kill their enemies, rather they only wanted to

stun them so that they could keep them for later ritual

human sacrifice.

Moche leaders also sacrificed their prisoners of war in an

attempt to control the weather.

Religion and Human Sacrifice

Picture showing Moche bringing back prisoners for sacrifice (from pottery)

Picture: god, fanged god


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The Moche religion consisted ofseveral gods (part human, part animal)

that they depicted in their pottery.

They did not believe that their gods had

any direct interaction with them.

These gods included a creator god as

well as one called the decapitator,

indicating the practice of human

sacrifice.

Moche pottery shows human sacrificebeing performed on the mountain tops of

the area.

Religion and Gods

Picture: mural in a huaca of their god the decapitator


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Moche PotteryThey are mainly characterized by their

elaborate and extensive pottery

collections which covered all aspects of

their society, from their metal work and

weaving to war and sex.

The pottery acted as a way of

communication and storytelling that made

up for their lack of a written language.

They used limited colors in their pottery,

using mostly white and red.

Picture: Moche Pottery


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Important Moche figures had their heads

depicted in pottery, similar to marble busts

of the Greek and Roman eras.

The pottery heads show intricate jewelry,

some of which was found in the burial

chambers.The differences in the burial chambers as

well as the pottery heads indicate definite

class distinctions, with the lowest people

being the captured prisoners that were

used as human sacrifices.

Moche Pottery

Pictures:

Moche

Pottery


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Moche Metalwork

The Moche people had themost advanced

metallurgical industry in

Peru.

They were the first usersof the lost-wax technique

to mold bronze, and they

also hammered and cut

gold and copper.

The Moche used metal for many things, including adornments

for their clothing, ceremonial masks, armor and weapons.

Picture: Moche mask metalwork


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The Collapse of the Moche

Mega El Nio - Thirty years of rain andfloods followed by thirty years of drought.

The weather produced a great unrest with the

Moche people because they could not explain or

understand why it was happening

The terrible conditions and the leaders lack of

ability to control it led to unrest and fighting

amongst the different communities.

This fighting, added to the lack of resources such

as food and land, led to the slow deterioration and

eventual destruction of the Moche civilization.

Picture: El Nio


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Moche Review Questions

1. How did the Moche civilization convey

their thoughts and ideas without the use

of a written language?

2. What led to the collapse of thecivilization?

3. Was the Moche a unified empire or

localized river temple societies linked

through craft exchange and religion?

Pictures: Moche Pottery


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Bibliography

Benson, E.P. (1972). The Mochica: A Culture of Peru.New York: Praeger Publishers.

Davidson, Nick (2005, March 2). Lost Society Tore Itself Apart.BBC News. Retrieved

October 26, 2005, from www.bbcnews.com

Donnan, D.B. (2004).Moche Portraits from Ancient Peru. Austin: University of Texas

Press.

Mochica. (n.d.). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Retrieved

October 26, 2005, from Answers.com Web site:

http://www.answers.com/topic/moche

Pillsburg, Joanne (eds.). (2001).Moche Art and Archaeology in Ancient Peru.NewHaven and London: Yale University Press.

Shimada, Izumi (1994).Pampa Grande and the Mochica Culture. Austin: University of

Texas Press.
http://www.bbcnews.com/http://www.answers.com/topic/mochehttp://www.answers.com/topic/mochehttp://www.bbcnews.com/

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