What were the Moche known for?
The Moche are well known for their art, especially their naturalistic and articulate ceramics, particularly in the form of stirrup-spout vessels. The ceramics incorporate a wide-ranging subject matter, both in shape and painted decorations, including representations of people, animals, and ritual scenes.
What did the Moche believe in?
The Moche were polytheistic , or had many gods. The most powerful god in their religion was Si, the moon goddess . Since the moon was always visible, and controlled the seasons, Si was the most powerful god. In Moche religion, women could have an important role.
What is the definition of Moche?
Moche(noun) a bale of raw silk.
What was the possible function of Moche pottery?
Not limited to just portraits and mythical creatures, Moche pottery also displays life and movement in its complex scenes of ceremonies, war, household rituals, and likely scenes from myths. Ceramic representations with sexual content may have been used for religious purposes in regards to fertility rituals.
Are Moche portraits really portraits?
While most Moche portrait vessels feature heads, some portray full human figures. They are meant to hold liquids. Almost all of the portraits of are adult men. In some rare instances, young boys are represented, but no portrait vessels of adult women have yet been found.
How did the Moche decorated their pots?
The Southern Moche tended to be expert ceramicists—producing a large amount of fine, thin-walled vessels painted in slip. Moche artists used only three colors—cream, red-brown or red-orange, and black to decorate their ceramics. Many Moche ceramics were made using molds, and so we have many duplicate pieces.
What happened to the Moche civilization?
The reasons for the demise of the Moche are unknown, but the civilization may have succumbed to earthquakes, prolonged drought, catastrophic flooding arising from the El Niño climatic anomaly, the encroachment of sand dunes on populated areas, or less-tangible social and cultural factors.
What did the Chavin leave behind?
The Mochica were great artists too. They left behind ceramic pots, woven textiles, murals, and amazing metal objects. The Mochica were also skilled fishermen, builders, and farmers. They irrigated their crops with the water that flowed down from the Andes.
Why was Peru a difficult place for a civilization to develop?
Peru was a harsh place to develop a civilization. The Andes are steep and rocky, with generally poor soil. Ice and snow cover the highest elevations year-round. Overland travel often is difficult.
Which civilization was located in the Andes Mountains?
Chavín
Why did Olmec civilization collapse?
The Olmec population declined sharply between 400 and 350 BCE, though it is unclear why. Archaeologists speculate that the depopulation was caused by environmental changes, specifically by the silting-up of rivers, which choked off the water supply.
How did the Chavin influence the Andes region?
What kind of influence did Chavin exert on the Andes region? Chavín-style architecture, sculpture, pottery, religious images, and painted textiles were widely imitated in the region. Chavín became a pilgrimage site and perhaps a training center for initiates from distant corners of the region.
Which ancient American civilization lasted the longest?
Maya
What type of civilization were the Chavin?
The Chavín culture is an extinct, pre-Columbian civilization, named for Chavín de Huantar, the principal archaeological site at which its artifacts have been found. The culture developed in the northern Andean highlands of Peru from 900 BCE to 200 BCE. It extended its influence to other civilizations along the coast.
Who built Chavin de Huantar?
Chavín de Huántar is an archaeological site in Peru, containing ruins and artifacts constructed as early as 1200 BCE, and occupied until around 400–500 BCE by the Chavín, a major pre-Inca culture.
How did the Chavin decorate their temples?
The Chavín people created refined goldwork and used early techniques of melting metal and soldering—connecting two pieces of metal by using another metal as a sort of glue. Chavín art decorated the walls of the temple and includes carvings, sculptures, and pottery. Eagles are also commonly seen throughout Chavín art.
How did the Sapa Inca consolidate his power and keep control of his large empire?
How did the Sapa Inca consolidate his power and keep control of his large empire? The Sapa Inca held absolute power. He imposed the language and religion of the Inca on all parts of the empire. The Inca also mastered the art of weaving, a practice passed down to them from earlier Andean peoples.
How were the Incas successful?
The Incas had a centrally planned economy, perhaps the most successful ever seen. Its success was in the efficient management of labor and the administration of resources they collected as tribute. Collective labor was the base for economic productivity and for the creation of social wealth in the Inca society.
What did Incas call gold?
Some of the most common precious metals in the Americas are gold, silver, and platinum. Incas used gold to make ritual objects, trinkets, and jewelry. Combinations of gold and silver, and gold and copper (called tumbaga) were also used.