The Moche

Lore & 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. Moche ceremonies were commonly associated with movement, but 'stasis' and standing still were also very significant. These pauses were shown in 'liminal spaces', which were in-between spaces like sunken steps or ramps. 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. There are considerable parallels between Moche and Cupisnique iconography and ceramic designs, including the iconography of the 'Spider god'. 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 (500–800 AD).

Reader's Guide

The Moche cultural sphere is centered on several valleys on the north coast of Peru in the regions of La Libertad, Lambayeque, Jequetepeque, Chicama, Moche, Virú, Chao, Santa, and Nepena. It occupied 250 miles of desert coastline and up to 50 miles inland. The Huaca del Sol, a pyramidal adobe structure on the Rio Moche, was the largest pre-Columbian structure in Peru. It was partly destroyed when Spanish Conquistadors looted its graves for gold in the 16th century. The nearby Huaca de la Luna is better preserved, with many of its interior walls still filled with many colorful murals and complex iconography. The site has been under professional archaeological excavation since the early 1990s. Two distinct regions of the Moche civilization have been identified, Southern and Northern Moche, with each area probably corresponding to a different political entity. The Southern Moche region, believed to be the heartland of the culture, originally comprised the Chicama and Moche valleys, and was first described by Rafael Larco Hoyle. The Huaca del Sol-Huaca de la Luna site was probably the capital of this region. The Northern Moche region includes three valley systems: the upper Piura Valley, the lower Lambayeque Valley system, and the lower Jequetepeque Valley system. Pampa Grande, in the Lambayeque Valley, became one of the largest Moche sites anywhere, and occupied an area of more than 400 hectares. It includes Huaca Fortaleza, which is the tallest ceremonial platform in Peru. San Jose de Moro is another northern site in the Jequetepeque valley, prominent in the Middle and Late Moche Periods (400–850 AD). Numerous Moche tombs have been excavated here, including several burials containing high status female individuals. These women were depicted in Moche iconography as the Priestess. Moche pottery is some of the most varied in the world. The use of mold technology is evident, which would have enabled the mass production of certain forms. Moche ceramics vary widely in shape and theme, with most important social activities documented in pottery, including war, agriculture, metalwork, weaving, and erotica. At least 500 Moche ceramics have sexual themes. The most frequently depicted act is anal sex, with scenes of vaginal penetration being very rare. The coloration of Moche pottery is often simple, with yellowish cream and rich red used almost exclusively on elite pieces. The Moche are known for their portraiture pottery. The pottery portraits created by the Moche appear to represent actual individuals. Many of the portraits are of individuals with physical disfigurements or genetic defects.

Did You Know?

• The Huaca del Sol was the largest pre-Columbian structure in Peru, partly destroyed when Spanish Conquistadors looted its graves for gold in the 16th century.
• At least 500 Moche ceramics have sexual themes, with anal sex being the most frequently depicted act.
• Pampa Grande in the Lambayeque Valley occupied an area of more than 400 hectares and includes Huaca Fortaleza, the tallest ceremonial platform in Peru.
• San Jose de Moro yielded tombs of high-status females depicted in Moche iconography as the Priestess.
• The Moche cultural sphere occupied 250 miles of desert coastline and up to 50 miles inland.