THE MOCHE
By Oscar Vera
TIME AND LOCATION
• The Moche Empire was
established in 100 A.D.
and collapsed by 800 A.D.
• Moche history can be
divided into three
distinctive time periods
• They occupied the northern
plains of what is today
known as Peru.
DIPLOMACY
•
The Moche actually had limited contact with
the few groups around them.
•
The coexisted with the Ica-Nazca to the
south but trade with them was limited to
small amounts of pottery and most of the
trade seems to be toward the Ica.
•
Sometimes leaders in the south were
persuaded to join the Moche state through
peaceful integration. These parts of the state
were strictly controlled.
PUBLIC AND MILITARY BUILDING PROJECTS
•
There are two sites on which there stand large
pyramids so it is assumed that in order to organize a
work group to erect such monuments there must have
been at least some form of central government, or at
least an elite class.
•
Before the Moche people were united, it was the
community that organized work gangs in order to
maintain irrigation canals, and to build ceremonial
centers that ranged in size from small alters to some of
the largest pyramids built in South America.
•
There is not much that is known about their military,
or any military related building projects.
ECONOMY
•
The economy depended heavily on water; farmers
worked on irrigation canals in order to earn water
rights.
•
The Moche depended heavily on the crops
produced by farmers along with: cotton(textiles
were a major product), anchovies, and guano for
fertilizer.
•
There is also evidence of long distance trade,
because certain materials they needed could not be
easily obtained by they themselves.
THE ROLE OF CITY LIFE
•
Moche cities were densely populated
urban centers, over which an elite class
ruled over.
•
Cities were a great place to see how
social classes compared to one another.
The lower class lived in cane houses
with few luxuries, while the elite live in
stone or adobe homes with many fine
items.
•
One of the most important cities in the
empire was Huaca del Sol, because it
served as an administrative center for
the Moche state.
PEASANT COMMUNITIES
•
The peasantry single handedly carried the empire on their back.
•
Even though there were densely populated cities most people lived in
communities that were focused on farming.
•
Peasants did all the work that was required to maintain the complex system
of canals used for irrigation throughout the empire
•
All the food was produced be farmers. Their products included corn, beans,
potatoes, squash, and chili peppers. Fisherman provided anchovies.
THE CORVEE SYSTEM
•
The only evidence that the corvee system was ever in place would be the
large centers of worship and maybe even the administrative centers built
in the southern halve of the Moche empire that were used to maintain
control.
•
The complex irrigation system used for farming was willingly
maintained by farmers, because they were awarded water rights.
•
And sometimes men were organized to go collect guano, but it would
then be used to make fertilizer for their crops .
PATRIARCHY
•
The Moche cities were ruled over by an elite
warrior-priest caste because politics and religion
were intertwined and a shared religion is what
brought them together.
•
Priest were viewed as godlike, because they were
meant to act as the middle man between humans
and gods.
•
Moche leaders built temples and staged rituals to
protect people in newly gained territories, on top
of being able to exercise extreme political power.
COLLAPSE
•
The collapse of the Moche came in 800 A.D. following a several droughts and an
earthquake.
•
The droughts disrupted the production of food, which is what the whole empire
depended on.
•
The Moche people soon rose up against the warrior- priest class after they failed
to protect their people from these natural disasters.
PICTURES
•
Map of the Moche Empire. Latin American studies database. Latin American Studies, 2006.
Web. 9 Sept. 2011
•
Moche Pottery. Heilburnn timeline of art history. The Metropolitian Museum of Art, 2009.
Web. 9 Sept. 2011
•
Ica-Nazca Drawing. Sites of Peru. Ruondomundo travel site, 2010. Web. 9 Sept. 2011
•
Huaca Del Sol. Explore Peru Slideshow. TravelPod Travel Agency, 2009. Web. 9 Sept. 2011
•
Irrigation Canal. History of Irrigation. History For Kids, 2000. Web. 9 Sept. 2011
•
Huaca Del Luna. Peru Study Tour. Institute of International Agriculture Michigan State
University, 2010. Web. 9 Sept. 2011
•
Ancient Fishing. Lamalera the Ancient Fishing tradition. Incito Tour, 2008. Web. 9 Sept.
2011
•
Ancient Farming. Farmers. The Aztec World, 2008. Web. 9 Sept 2011
•
Priest-Warrior. The History of the First Nations. Hubpages, 2007. Web. 9 Sept. 2011
SOURCES
• Donnan, Christopher. “Moche Burials Uncovered”.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0103/feature3/index.html.
National Geographic, 2009. Web. 9 September 2011.
•
"Moche." Encyclopedia of Archaeology: History and Discoveries.
Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2001. Credo Reference. Web. 9
September 2011.
• “Moche Culture.” Early Civilizations in the Americas Reference
Library. Gale, 2005. Discovering Collection. Web. 9 Sept. 2011.