Civilizations of the Andes Chavίn Moche Wari and Tiwanaku
Dec 16, 2015
Civilizations of the Andes
ChavίnMoche
Wari and Tiwanaku
Civilizations of the Andes
• What do we know about the geography?
Geography and Food
• The deserts only supported human habitation because of rivers…– Rivers provided irrigation and cultivation
• Location near the Pacific Ocean• Birds and Fish
• Seafood from the coastal region; cotton from lower-altitude valley; potatoes, quinoa, and pasture land for llamas in the high plains; tropical fruit and coca from the eastern slope
Civilizations of South America
• First Wave Civilization= Notre Chico:3000 BCE • Second Wave Civilizations:– Chavin: 1200 BCE- 200 BCE– Moche: 200 BCE-800 CE – flourished 100 CE- 700 CE– Nazca: ?- 600 CE– Wari: 400 CE- 1000 CE– Tiwanaku: 400 CE- 1000 CE– Huari: 650 CE0 800 CE– Chimu: 600 CE- 1470 CE– Inca: 1476 CE- 1543 CE
Chavίn (cha-BEEN)
• 900 BCE – 200 BCE: became the center of a religious movement – Chavίn de Huántar
• Location – coastal and highland Peru • Strategic location to trade routes• Why would trade routes be so important to
Chavίn?
Chavίn (cha-BEEN)
• Architecture – the Elite class• Elaborate temple complex – galleries, hidden
passageways, staircases, ventilation, drainage canals (technology)
• Artwork – influenced from both the desert coastal regions and the rainforests – major deities represented as jaguars, crocodiles, and snakes (art and religion)
• Shamans – San Pedro cactus – hallucinogenic properties – used to communicate with the supernatural world
Chavίn (cha-BEEN)
• Spread of religion across Peru and beyond – how do we know? Architecture, sculpture, pottery, religious images – imitated within the region
• Chavίn became pilgrimage cite and training center
• No “empire” emerged – it was a widespread religious cult based on a trading network
Chavίn (review)• N. Peru• Farming society• Different regional groups• Main town was probably a pilgrimage site
Moche (MOH-chee)
• 100 CE – 800 CE• Location – Peru’s northern coast – incorporated
13 river valleys• Economy dependent on irrigation systems –
constant maintenance – channeled snow runoff from the Andes
• Grew – maize, beans, squash – used water and guano
• Fishermen – anchovies in the Pacific
Where is Moche?
Moche (MOH-chee)
• Politically – governed by warrior-priests• Lived in pyramids – largest had 143 million sundried
bricks • Shaman-rulers – often under the influence of
hallucinogenic drugs – conducted rituals and mediated between the humankind and the gods
• Ritual Sacrifice of human victims – most prisoners of war – this was the central concept to the politico-religious life– Decapitation and dismemberment was represent on
pottery
Moche (MOH-chee)
• Moche was based on war, ceremony and diplomacy
• Wealth of the warrior-priest elite – elaborate burials of the rulers– Lord of Sipan
• Craftspeople – metal workers, potters, weavers, painters, farmers, fishermen, traders, construction workers – little is known about the daily life of these workers
The Lord of Sipan
Moche (MOH-chee)
What it could’ve looked like…
Moche Review
• 200 BCE- 700 CE• Northern Peru• 2000 separate settlements• Created irrigation systems• Royal tombs show social classes– Lord, buried in shrouds and covered in jewels– Surrounded by servants and animals– Llamas, a dog, and a snake– Paintings show priests in warfare and performing
human sacrifices on the prisoners• Moche left around 600 CE and no one knows why
Wari and Tiwanaku
• 400 CE – 1000 CE• Interior empires• Wari – northern highlands of the Andes• Tiwanaku – southern part of the Andes• Both centered on large urban capitals,
monumental architecture, and large populations• Both governments collected surplus food – incase
of drought and famine• Neither controlled a continuous band of territory
Wari and Tiwanaku • Both developed vertical empires• Colonies at lower levels on the eastern and
western slopes of the Andes• Food – seafood, maize, chili peppers, cocoa,
hallucinogenic plants• Caravans of llama linked distant centers –
allowed for trade
Wari VS Tiwanaku
• Agriculture – – Wari = hillside terracing, snowmelt from Andes– Tiwanaku = “raised field” – elevated planting areas
separated by small irrigation canals• Architecture - – Wari = tombs and temples were built of field stone – Tiwanaku = elaborate fitted stone walls and buildings
• City organization – – Wari = built to a common plan, linked to capital by highways – Tiwanaku = not as tightly control compared to Wari
Wari VS Tiwanaku
• Shared 300 mile border• Little conflict between the two, or interaction• Spoke own languages, different clothes, different gods• Capitals were the base of their civilizations • Following their collapse were a series of smaller Andean
kingdoms – one which became the Inca Empire – used technology and architecture from the Wari and Tiwanaku. Inca claimed Tiwanaku as their origin.
• Fall of American empires came with the invasions of the Europeans in the 1400’s
Wari
Tiwanaku
Discussion Questions:
• What kind of influence did Chavin exert in the Andes region?
• What features of Moche life characterize it as a civilization?
• What was the significance of Wari and Tiwanaku in the history of the Andean Civilization?
Civilization
• What classifies a civilization?