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/