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Over the course of 1400 years, pre-Inca cultures settled along
the Peruvian coast and highlands. The power and influence
of some civilizations was to hold sway over large swaths of
territory, which during their decline, gave way to minor regional
centers. Many of them stood out for their ritual pottery,
their ability to adapt and superb management of their natural
resources; a vast knowledge from which later the Inca empire
was to draw.
The first Peruvian civilization settled in Huantar,
Ancash in around 1000 BC. The power of the civilization, based
on a theocracy, was centered in the Chavin de Huantar temple,
whose walls and galleries were filled with sculptures of ferocious
deities with feline features.
The Paracas culture (700 BC)
rose to power along the south coast, and was to craft superb
skills in textile weaving.
The north coast was dominated by the Mochica
civilization (100 AD). The culture was led by military authorities
in the coastal valleys, such as the Lord of Sipan. The Moche
pots which featured portraits, and their iconography in general
were surprisingly detailed and showed great skill in design.
The highlands saw the rise of the Tiahuanaco
culture (200 AD), based in the Collao region (which covered
parts of modern-day Bolivia and Chile). The Tiahuanaco were
to bequeath a legacy of agricultural terracing and the management
of a variety of ecological zones.
The Nazca culture (300 AD) were
able to tame the coastal desert by bringing water through
underground aqueducts. They carved out vast geometric and
animal figures on the desert floor, a series of symbols believed
to form part of an agricultural calendar which even today
baffles researchers.
The Wari culture (600 AD) introduced
urban settlements in the Ayacucho area and expanded its influence
across the Andes
The refined Chimu culture (700
AD) crafted gold and other metals into relics and built the
mud-brick citadel of Chan Chan, near the northern coastal
city of Trujillo.
The
Chachapoyas culture (800 AD)
made the best possible use of arable land and built their
constructions on top of the highest mountains in the northern
cloud forest. The vast Kuelap fortress is a fine example of
how they adapted to their environment. |
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