By Oscar Vera THE MOCHE

TIME AND LOCATION The Moche Empire was established in 100 A.D. and collapsed by 800 A.D. Moche history can be divided into three distinctive time periods They occupied the northern plains of what is today known as Peru.

DIPLOMACY The Moche actually had limited contact with the few groups around them. The coexisted with the Ica-Nazca to the south but trade with them was limited to small amounts of pottery and most of the trade seems to be toward the Ica. Sometimes leaders in the south were persuaded to join the Moche state through peaceful integration. These parts of the state were strictly controlled.

PUBLIC AND MILITARY BUILDING PROJECTS There are two sites on which there stand large pyramids so it is assumed that in order to organize a work group to erect such monuments there must have been at least some form of central government, or at least an elite class. Before the Moche people were united, it was the community that organized work gangs in order to maintain irrigation canals, and to build ceremonial centers that ranged in size from small alters to some of the largest pyramids built in South America. There is not much that is known about their military, or any military related building projects.

ECONOMY The economy depended heavily on water; farmers worked on irrigation canals in order to earn water rights. The Moche depended heavily on the crops produced by farmers along with: cotton(textiles were a major product), anchovies, and guano for fertilizer. There is also evidence of long distance trade, because certain materials they needed could not be easily obtained by they themselves.

THE ROLE OF CITY LIFE Moche cities were densely populated urban centers, over which an elite class ruled over. Cities were a great place to see how social classes compared to one another. The lower class lived in cane houses with few luxuries, while the elite live in stone or adobe homes with many fine items. One of the most important cities in the empire was Huaca del Sol, because it served as an administrative center for the Moche state.

PEASANT COMMUNITIES The peasantry single handedly carried the empire on their back. Even though there were densely populated cities most people lived in communities that were focused on farming. Peasants did all the work that was required to maintain the complex system of canals used for irrigation throughout the empire All the food was produced be farmers. Their products included corn, beans, potatoes, squash, and chili peppers. Fisherman provided anchovies.

THE CORVEE SYSTEM The only evidence that the corvee system was ever in place would be the large centers of worship and maybe even the administrative centers built in the southern halve of the Moche empire that were used to maintain control. The complex irrigation system used for farming was willingly maintained by farmers, because they were awarded water rights. And sometimes men were organized to go collect guano, but it would then be used to make fertilizer for their crops.

PATRIARCHY The Moche cities were ruled over by an elite warrior-priest caste because politics and religion were intertwined and a shared religion is what brought them together. Priest were viewed as godlike, because they were meant to act as the middle man between humans and gods. Moche leaders built temples and staged rituals to protect people in newly gained territories, on top of being able to exercise extreme political power.

COLLAPSE The collapse of the Moche came in 800 A.D. following a several droughts and an earthquake. The droughts disrupted the production of food, which is what the whole empire depended on. The Moche people soon rose up against the warrior- priest class after they failed to protect their people from these natural disasters.

PICTURES Map of the Moche Empire. Latin American studies database. Latin American Studies, Web. 9 Sept Moche Pottery. Heilburnn timeline of art history. The Metropolitian Museum of Art, Web. 9 Sept Ica-Nazca Drawing. Sites of Peru. Ruondomundo travel site, Web. 9 Sept Huaca Del Sol. Explore Peru Slideshow. TravelPod Travel Agency, Web. 9 Sept Irrigation Canal. History of Irrigation. History For Kids, Web. 9 Sept Huaca Del Luna. Peru Study Tour. Institute of International Agriculture Michigan State University, Web. 9 Sept Ancient Fishing. Lamalera the Ancient Fishing tradition. Incito Tour, Web. 9 Sept Ancient Farming. Farmers. The Aztec World, Web. 9 Sept 2011 Priest-Warrior. The History of the First Nations. Hubpages, Web. 9 Sept. 2011

SOURCES Donnan, Christopher. “Moche Burials Uncovered”. National Geographic, Web. 9 September "Moche." Encyclopedia of Archaeology: History and Discoveries. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Credo Reference. Web. 9 September 2011.Moche “Moche Culture.” Early Civilizations in the Americas Reference Library. Gale, Discovering Collection. Web. 9 Sept