Moche Culture: "The Moche's Legacy: Echoes from the Northern Coast"

                         Moche Culture

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^[1][2] from about 100 to 700 AD during the Regional Development Epoch. While this issue is the subject of some debate, many scholars contend that the Moche were not politically organized as a monolithic empire or state. Rather, they were likely a group of autonomous polities that shared a common culture, as seen in the rich iconography and monumental architecture that survives today.

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 systems.^[3]

Moche history may be broadly divided into three periods: the emergence of the Moche culture in Early Moche (100–300 AD), the expansion and flourishing during Middle Moche (300–600 AD), and the urban nucleation and subsequent collapse in Late Moche (500–750 AD).^[4]

The Salinar culture reigned on the north coast of Peru from 200 BC–200 AD. According to some scholars, this was a short transition period between the Cupisnique and the Moche cultures.^[5]

There are considerable parallels between Moche and Cupisnique iconography and ceramic designs, including the iconography of the 'Spider god'. 

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,^[33] possibly a super El Niño, that resulted in 30 years of intense rain and flooding followed by 30 years of drought,^[33] part of the aftermath of the climate changes of 535–536. These weather events could have disrupted the Moche way of life, political hierarchy,^[34] and jeopardized their faith in their religion. This super El Niño may have hindered Moche agriculture.^[35] Moche agriculture relied considerably on canal-based irrigation^[36] from Andes mountain runoff,^[37] which a severe drought would have jeopardized.^[34] Certain scholars attribute strain on the irrigation systems to sensitive tectonics in the region.^[34]

Other evidence demonstrates that these events did not cause a complete Moche demise. Moche polities survived beyond 650 AD in the Jequetepeque Valley and the Moche Valleys. For instance, in the Jequetepeque Valley, later settlements are characterized by fortifications and defensive works.^[36] While there is no evidence of a foreign invasion (i.e. a Huari invasion) as many scholars have suggested in the past, the defensive works suggest social unrest, possibly the result of climatic changes, as factions fought for control over increasingly scarce resources. 

Publisher : Rakha Ahnafa

Source : Wikipedia