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The Moche appeared in areas that has been the location of the earlier Chavin civilization. They are sometime referred to as early- or proto- Chimu. The dominanted the coast of what is now northrn Peru for six centuries. Scholars differ on the Chimu. Many contend that there was no centralized state, but rather a grouping of largely autonomous polities with a common elite culture which can be established by their iconography and monumental architecture. The Moche developed a strictly stratified culture with powerful elites withn elaborate rituals. The political economy developed large civic-ceremonial centers. Here goods were produced and traded for foods stuffs and raw materils brought from the countryside. The Moche were an agriculturally people who built a complex irrigation system to farm the arid coast. Rivers running down from the Sierra irrigated narrow valleys. Irrigation enabled the Moche to farm muxh larger areas. They are surely best known for their destinctive painted pottery dpicting their lives, through realitic scenes of hunting, fishing, fighting, sacrifice, sex, and elaborate ceremonies. The Moche also left three-dimensional murals made of plastered clay on their public buildings. These murals also depict a wide range of figures and public themes, including fierce warriors and their war prisoners, priests, and strange supernatural beings. Much of what we know about the Moche comes from their ceramics and murals. The Moche were the only Native American people who produced realistic images of their important rulers. They also are known for their gold work. Monumental construction of huacas are the source of importnt archeological finds. Tragically a great deal of archeological evidence has been destoyed by looting began in the Spanish colonial history.
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