What are some things that the Moche culture is known for?
The Moche are particularly noted for their elaborately painted ceramics, gold work, monumental constructions (huacas) and irrigation systems.
What did the Moche believe in?
The 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.
Is Moche an Inca?
Learn all about an ancient Peruvian culture, the Moche civilization. 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.
Why is Moche important?
The Moche were contemporary with the Nazca civilization (200 BCE – 600 CE) further down the coast but, thanks to their conquest of surrounding territories, they were able to accumulate the wealth and power necessary to establish themselves as one of the most unique and important early-Andean cultures.
What happened to the Moche culture?
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 Chimu eat?
The Chimú cultivated beans, sweet potato, papaya, and cotton with their reservoir and irrigation system. This focus on large-scale irrigation persisted until the Late Intermediate period.
What is the understanding of Moche culture?
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.
Why was gold important to the Moche culture?
Moche artists used gold, silver, and copper to create ritual implements and ornaments. They were particularly inventive in combining metals and developed innovative techniques to achieve a desired effect, including some that were more sophisticated than those known in Europe at the time.
How do we know about the Moche people?
The Moche (also known as the Early Chimú or Mochica) lived in what is modern-day Peru, near Moche and Trujillo. Their civilization lasted from approximately 100 to 800 CE. The Moche are also noted for their expansive ceremonial architecture (huacas), elaborately painted ceramics, and woven textiles.
How did archaeologist learn about the Moche culture?
Archaeologists have uncovered three sets of sacrificed prisoners at the site of Huaca de la Luna in the Moche river valley. The continued archaeological exploration and analysis of Moche artworks will help researchers to further understand this complex culture.
Are Moche portraits really portraits?
While most Moche portrait vessels feature heads, some portray full human figures. In some rare instances, young boys are represented, but no portrait vessels of adult women have yet been found. The portraits are not idealized, some feature abnormalities, such as harelips and missing eyes.
What years did the Mochica civilization exist?
Moche, also called Mochica, Andean civilization that flourished from the 1st to the 8th century ce on the northern coast of what is now Peru.
What kind of art does the Moche culture use?
Their art, unlike that of most Andean cultures, is naturalistic and rich in imagery, inviting us to explore their world. Sculptural ceramic ceremonial vessel that represents a dog, c. 100-800 C.E., Moche, Peru, 180 mm high (Museo Larco).
When did the Moche culture start and end?
Moche ceramics created between 150–800 AD epitomize this style. Moche pots have been found not just at major north coast archaeological sites, such as Huaca de la luna, Huaca del sol, and Sipan, but also at small villages and unrecorded burial sites as well. At least 500 Moche ceramics have sexual themes.
Where did the Moche culture live in Peru?
The Moche culture thrived on Peru’s northern coast between approximately 200 and 900 C.E. Rising and falling long before the Inka, the culture left no written records, and the early Spanish colonists who chronicled the cultures of Peru found the Chimú people in what had earlier been Moche territory.
How is violence a part of the Moche culture?
Evidence that violence was a significant part of Moche society was first identified in ceramic and mural art.