The Moche

By James

and

Alex P.

Timeperiod

     The Moche lived from 100 A.D. to 800 A.D. in the area that in now Peru. The Moche was a complex civilization that had art, religion, and had an advanced cul

ture. Their history can be divided into three time periods: their surfacing and beginning of their civilization around 100A.D.-300A.D, their “golden age” from 300A.D.-500 A.D., and then their decline and collapse form 500 A.D-800 A.D.

Place of Oragin

     The Moche lived in the area that is now Peru. Although the Moche became exceptionally advanced, they did not form an Empire, but were peacefull and did not expand there empire through conquest.

The People

     Little is known about individual Moche people due to the fact that the Moche never formed into a strong unified nation, but rather a coalition of similar peoples. The people living in the area at the time the Spanish arrived spoke Mochia, but scholars do not know if this was the actual language spoken at that time. The Moche ate peanuts, guinea pigs, llamas, deer, and fish. They also got other food though trade with Ecuador and Chile.

Religion

     The Moche religion contained human sacrifice. The victims were believed to be enemies captured in battle. The Moche religion promised good weather. When severe weather struck around 650 A.D. not only did they starve, they were betrayed by their religion.

Moche Art

     The Moche created many artistic works. They mostly used clay, but gold and silver wee among some of the other mediums used. Moche art depicted normal aspects of everyday life. The Moche used art to document their lives. Although they are most famous for their inappropriate art, they also made pottery about war, metalwork, and weaving. Many pieces of pottery were found though digs of various temples and tombs. Here are some pictures of Moche Art. 

Food

• peanuts
• guinea pigs
• llamas
• deer
• fish
• other food though trade with Ecuador/Chile

Remains

     The Moche left many different remains. The “Temple to the Sun” and “Temple to the moon” are the biggest and most well known of the ancient remains. Various tombs of the Moche elite have also led to notable discoveries. Here is a video of the moche moon temple.

Collapse

     The Moche civilization is believed to have collapsed after a prolonged El nino caused their crops to die. Internal factions fought for the scarce resources. Civilization did not end but was severely weaken and eventually withered away and blended with other more powerful civilizations. 

Here is an amazing slideshow we made.

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