Moche Origins 200 B'C' A'D' 200

1
Moche - Origins (200 B.C. - A.D. 200)

• evidence for fortified sites in Santa and Viru
  valleys
• some continuity of Cupisnique traits
• dramatic growth in first century B.C.
• construction of large, valley-neck canals
• large canals opened valley to settlement
• population levels peaked in Viru and Santa
  valleys
• Salinar
• Gallinazo

2
Moche - Gallinazo

• estimated that there are 30,000 rooms at
  Gallinazo
• spread over area of 2 sq km
• core population of 5000
• pyramid rises 25 m high and 200 m at base

3
Moche - Early Sites (Moche Valley)

• Chanquillo (Moche Valley)
• dates of 120 and 340 B.C.
• ceremonial center surrounded by multiple walls
• Moche, Cerro Blanco (Moche Valley)
• two architectural complexes built 500 m apart

4
Moche - Early Architecture

• Tomoval (Virú Valley)
• numerous mounds of adobe
• some 30,000 rooms and compartments
• social distinctions in architecture
• adobe used for quarters of kuraka class
• irrigation created soils for making mud bricks
• molds made out of cane
• mit'a labor reflected in segmented construction

5
Moche - Agglutinated Villages

• estimated to have had 20-30 residences
• rectagular compounds enclosing interior rooms
• low mounds of collapsed adobe structures
• spacious courts, corridors, and rooms
• headquarters of local elites with evidence for
  metalworking

6
Moche - Fortifications

• defensive fortifications correlate with arable
  land
• also appear earliest in smaller valley systems
• southern Santa, Nepeña, and Casma valleys
• defensive works appear during or before Early
  Horizon
• coastal valleys progressively bigger north of
  Santa
• took longer to develop their agricultural
  potentials
• typically occupy summits of steep-sided hills
• one or more encircling walls with narrow
  entrances
• ditches and dry moats
• most were far from water

7
Moche - Santa Valley

• provides a coast-sierra corridor
• arable land occurs as canyon or valley-flank
  pockets
• irrigated by independent canal systems
• 40 hilltop bastions

8
Moche - Huaca del Sol

• measures 340 X 160 m and stands over 40 m high
• imperial palace and mausoleum for heads of state
• destroyed by Spanish "hydraulic mining"
• most of fourth section has been destroyed by
  river diversion
• more than a million bricks used in construction
• maker's marks used by each work force
• more than 100 different marks have been noted
• building and usage spanned several generations
• Phase I burial near the base
• Phase IV interment of couple atop last
  construction stage

9
Moche - Huaca de la Luna

• building began during Phase III
• "revolt of the weapons" murals
• animated clubs, shields, and other artifacts
• uses of labor
• ancient planting surfaces reflect corporate
  management

10
Moche IV

• El Niño flooding around A.D. 600

11
Moche Iconographic Themes

• Revolt of the Objects
• Berlin Vase
• Munich Vase
• objects attacking humans and prey becoming
  predators

12
Moche Iconography - The Woman

• females associated with gabled roof structures
• holds wither a house post or a crooked staff
• arc-like designs on back of head and ends of two
  roof beams

13
Moche Iconography - The Sea

• sea rarely depicted unless it had a purpose in
  the art
• sea must be involved with events on land
• alternating fish and sea lions
• fish shown larger than sea lions
• may indicate role reversal
• role reversal also suggested by birds

14
Moche Iconography - Munich Vase

• also said to come from Chicama Valley
• shows objects successfully attacking humans
• items are associated with militarism
• logical reading is from bottom up
• at top of scene are objects apprehended
• Woman
• accompanied by small human
• not as prominent as Owl

15
Moche - Revolt of the Objects (Munich Vase)

• painted vessel (56)
• ear plugs (54)
• spindle with thread (55)
• messenger between humans and gods
• rattle (58)
• headdress (41)
• helmet crests (53)

16
Moche - Revolt of the Objects (Munich Vase)

• Owl Deity (43)
• dog at his feet
• may lead revolt together with Woman
• Rayed Deity (45)
• most important (indicated by size)
• arms crossed left over right
• human is seated under a tree and addressing
  standing figure
• feline-headed snake (22)

17
Moche Iconography - Presentation Theme

• humans wear animal skins while animals wear human
  clothing
• ceremonial offering of goblets
• carried in procession with plate-like covers
• human blood may have been carried in chalices
• Owl
• often shown wearing plaque shirt or cloak
• garment associated with figure with raised hand
• Rayed Deity
• large sack carried by Hummingbird
• Hummingbird represent shaman's capacity to suck
  out illness
• bag may represent collected pathogens
• taking away of bag an important part of story

18
Moche Iconography - Burial Theme
19
Terminal Moche - Marca Huamachuco

• Moche Huamachuco
• located in upper Rio Cisnejas
• biggest standing architectural complex of its
  time
• Cerro Castillo
• half of dates fall between AD 400-500
• remainder carry up to AD 800
• Galindo
• floor space divided into courts

20
End of Moche

• problems in the Moche Valley
• massive flooding stripped away several meters of
  occupation
• followed by later flooding
• tectonic uplift caused massive erosion
• dune formation
• encroachment and burial of standing architecture

21
Pampa Grande

• large site in the Lambayeque Valley
• within the class of Huaca del Sol and Sechin Alto
• assigned to later Sicán culture

22
Recuay

• reminiscent of Moche corporate style
• strong emphasis on warriors bearing trophy heads
• double-headed serpents and dragons
• Willkawain
• mausoleums resemble subterranean houses with
  crypts
• one chamber 1 m high and 7 m long, entered via
  roof
• Pashash
• may represent ancestral shrine containing
  entombed ancestor

23
Huarpa

• corporate style dating from AD 200-600
• opened rough, dry terrain to agriculture
• among the earliest surviving andenes in the
  highlands
• surviving examples of Huarpa canals are several
  km long
• widths of up to 1.6 m
• evidence of impermeable clay linings
• preference for hilltops near arable land
• houses built of stonework