The Moche were a pre-Incan civilization that dominated the area of the Northern Peru coastline, roughly from 100 to 800 AD. They were known for their distinctive ceramics and artwork which depicted ritualistic human sacrifice, and their unique mortuary treatment of the deceased. Settlements ranged from farmsteads to urban agglomerations. (Millaire 2004) Temple complexes, usually consisting two paired buildings, dotted the coastline with evidence of ritualistic behavior. Huaca de la Luna, paired with Huaca del Sol and thought to be the capital of Moche, is an adobe structure located on the hill of Cerro Blanco on the Moche river valley in Northern Peru (Verano 2000). No evidence of residential activity has been found, but elaborate tombs for the elite and plazas holding evidence of human sacrifice suggest that it was a ceremonial center (Sutter and Cortez 2005).
Huaca de la Luna consists of three mounds connected by courts, completed in at least three series of construction. It is estimated that over 50 million adobe bricks were needed to complete construction of Huaca de la Luna. Differences in brick classes distinguish each distinct phase. The adobe bricks were made by a variety of people, as shown on each maker’s mark inscribed on the stones. This suggests that in the Moche society, tax obligations were fulfilled by sending a work party to build a particular section designated by the ruling authority. (Hastings and Moseley 1975). In Stage 1, a mound about 95 m long by 85 m wide and 20 m high was erected, topped with flagstone pavings, rooms and other walled structures. Stage 2 raised the summit about 3 -4 m, adding new rooms and summit structures, one of which was decorated with a mural. The final stage, Stage 3, filled in the...
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...: Delayed Burials, Grave Reopening, and Secondary Offerings of Human Bones on the Peruvian North Coast
Jean-François Millaire
Latin American Antiquity , Vol. 15, No. 4 (Dec., 2004) , pp. 371-388
PALEOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SACRIFICIAL VICTIMS AT THE PYRAMID OF THE MOON, MOCHE RIVER VALLEY, NORTHERN PERU
John W. Verano
Chungara: Revista de Antropología Chilena , Vol. 32, No. 1 (Enero - Junio 2000) , pp. 61-70
The Adobes of Huaca del Sol and Huaca de La Luna
C. Mansfield Hastings and M. Edward Moseley
American Antiquity , Vol. 40, No. 2 (Apr., 1975) , pp. 196-203
The Nature of Moche Human Sacrifice: A Bio‐Archaeological Perspective
Richard C. Sutter and Rosa J. Cortez
Current Anthropology , Vol. 46, No. 4 (August/October 2005) , pp. 521-549
Moche Politics, Religion, and Warfare
Jeffrey Quilter
Journal of World Prehistory , Vol. 16, No. 2 (June 2002) , pp. 145-195
Cahokia also constructed Ethagy mounds that were shaped like animals when viewed from the air. They also created the “American Woodhenge.” This woodhenge was constructed of 5 circles made from 12-60 wooden posts. These posts would likely have been used as a calendar of sorts marking the solstices, equinoxes and festivals important to the residents.
In terms of agriculture, Moche and Mayan civilizations were similar in that they both had water management systems that would help them grow the crops more efficiently; however, since agricultural styles were dependent on the landscapes and the climate of the region, Moche and Mayan had different techniques of growing their crops, as well as irrigation system, which Moche had more complexed ones. Moche irrigation system was surely “complex...requiring constant maintenance, which funneled runoff from the Andes into fields,” since the Moche civilization contained thirteen river valleys and dynamic landscapes including the Andes mountains, that they required an extensive irrigation system. Rainfalls were extreme, that it occasionally brought drought and
The stone was found in 1790 by accident in the Plaza Mayor of Mexico City, when workmen who were excavating the earth to pave the plaza. It was discovered facedown, so it only seemed as if it was a large blank stone until it was turned over and the intricate details and deity was finally shown. It was decided to be set on the side on the Catedral Metropolitana, where it was abused and misunderstood for nearly a century. It wasn’t until 1885 and almost a hundred years of abuse by the people of Mexico, it was decided to be placed in the Museo Nacional. Although researchers at the time knew the importance of the Aztec stone, “students of Mexican antiquities, the founders of our archaeology, eagerly urged the successive governments to shelter and protect this significant monument of the pre-Hispanic past from the ignominy that it had suffered. According to chroniclers of the period, when it was displayed, the ignorant masses hurled filth and rotten fruit at the calendrical relief. Even the soldiers who at a certain time occupied the centre of Mexico—because of the constant violent tumult and foreign invasions that characteriz...
Varner, John G. and Jeanette Varner., trans., ed. The Florida of the Inca. Austin: U of Texas P, 1951.
Debate started to arise when an archaeologist by the name of Thomas D. Dillehay found artifacts of people existing 14,600 years ago, before Clovis, in Monte Verde, a site in southern Chile. These people slept in hide tents, had access to seafood and potatoes, and shared similar characteristics to other artifacts found in North Ame...
There has been a lot of controversy regarding human remains and the field of archaeology for some time. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) protect the Native American’s rights over their human remains and cultural items. Proposed by the Morris Udall, former Congress Member for Arizona second District, NAGPRA was passed by the Congress in November 1990. The congress’ intention was to facilitate the repatriation of the Native Americans skeleton and cultural remains that were held in museums and federal agencies. In compliance with the Act, anthropologists returned several skeletal remains that were conserved in their study laboratories and museums to the respective Native tribes. In 1998, for example, the University of Nebraska repatriated over 1702 cultural artifacts to the affiliated Native Americans (Niesel 1). This was a significant blow to the scientific and anthropology studies as it marked the loss of necessary resources in unraveling the development of the human being.
Pringle, H. (2013, June 27). First Unlooted Royal Tomb of Its Kind Unearthed in Peru. In NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. Retrieved February 4, 2014, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/06/130627-peru-archaeology-wari-south-america-human-sacrifice-royal-ancient-world/.
Architecture, like many things, can also be made for the use of or inspired by the symbols people believe in. Therefore, art and architecture in Ancient Mesoamerica can be stated to be made for the use of religious symbols. Making architecture and art forms takes effort, dedication, and patience. Architecture can take years to make, as was s...
Maya architecture is best characterized by the soaring pyramid temples and ornate palaces which were built in all Mayan cities across Mesoamerica from El Tajin in the north to Copan in the south. Pyramids were the epicenter of all Mayan cities because the culture was based on a theocratic design; the famed stepped pyramids had both political and religious significance and unifying Mayan civilization. With large quantities of limestone and flint available, plaster and cement were easily produced. This allowed the Mayans to build impressive temples, with stepped pyramids, multi-level elevated platforms, massive step-pyramids, corbelled roofing, monumental stairways, and exteriors decorated with sculpture and moldings of Mayan hieroglyphs, geometric shapes, and iconography from religion such as serpent masks are all typical features of Maya architecture. On the summits were thatched- roof temples, known as "Triadic Groups".
Jimmy Santiago Baca’s poem “Green Chile” describes a personal experience growing up with a staple food of the Southwest tradition. In the 3 stanzas and 45 eloquent lines, Baca uses symbolism through red and green chile peppers. The red chile peppers symbolize strength and progression and are also the peppers the author prefers. On the other hand, the green chilies represent youth, which are Baca’s grandmother's favorite. Both the red and green chilies are differentiated by the flavor and taste to tell a story of Baca and his history of growing up with his grandmother.
The Olmec center at La Venta share essential characteristics of all Mesoamerican centers later built by different cultures. The site is laid out along a north-south axis with a huge clay and earth pyramid its most prominent
Taube, Karl. “The major Gods of Ancient Yucatan.” Studies in Pre-Columbian Art & Archaeology 32 (1992): 11-27. Print.
Rock, D. (1987). Argentina, 1516-1987: From Spanish Colonization to Alphonsín. Berkley: University of California Press.
Each block weighs fifty tons! They would thatch the roofs with tree trunks and straw. After the buildings were constructed, the Incan people would smooth the stones with sand, mud, and clay to make the structures look polished. The people who inhabited this ancient site considered it to be magical because of the Andes Mountains and the Amazon River. The Temple of the Condor was a place of worship where the head of the condor was used as an altar for sacrifices.
This desert is in an arid area between the Andes mountain range and the Pacific Ocean. This desert also lives on an alluvial plain. Furthermore, since its distance stretches four hundred kilometers South of Lima, the Pampas of Jumana covers about four hundred fifty square feet kilometers. Throughout all this land, one theory is believed to be that extraterrestrials left confused people when they came to visit earth and that is the myth on why the Nazca lines were created. Another theory is, believed that Nazca Indians and Lines appeared only after the visitors from other stars naturally visited on earth. The reason why this land is so fascinating is because no one really knows how the Nazca Indians appeared on the Peru desert, and why these Nazca Lines were created on this land. While living in the Peru desert the Nazca Indian grew crops from underground water sources traced on the land. Another way the crops received waters was when the Pacific Ocean’s morning mist wafted to the land, and the trees would trap the water mist in their leaves, so when there was no rain to fully water the lands, the trapped water mist in the trees leaves would water the crops. The Nazca Indians grew crops that highly dependent on water and many of these crops planted back then people eat still to this day. Based on iconography, excavated remains indicate that the Nazca people had a varied diet, composed of corn, squash, sweet, potato, yucca, ginger, banana, and even small traces of various fish. In addition, Na...