Moche

The Moche, also called Mochica, were a pre-Columbian civilization that flourished on the northern coast of Peru from approximately 100 to 700 CE. They inhabited the arid coastal plain along the Moche River and in the valleys of the Santa, Chicama, and Lambayeque rivers, with major centers near present-day Trujillo and Lambayeque.

Their society was organized around irrigation-based agriculture supported by extensive canal networks; urban centers featured large ceremonial complexes and adobe pyramids.

Moche art and architecture include highly naturalistic ceramics, such as portrait vessels and mythic scenes, as well as metalwork in gold, copper, and silver. They built monumental adobe pyramids, most notably Huaca de la Luna and Huaca del Sol, which served ceremonial and administrative functions and dominated the landscape.

Society and economy show evidence of social stratification, including elite tombs and burial offerings. The tombs and varied artifacts indicate a complex hierarchy and a statewide network of workshops producing goods for elite use and ritual contexts, including pottery, metalwork, and textiles.

Religion and ritual centers often relate to water and fertility, with iconography depicting gods of rain, rivers, and the sea. Ceremonial scenes appear in architecture, ceramics, and burials, reflecting the importance of ritual in daily and political life.

Decline and legacy: Climate fluctuations, including El Niño events and droughts, disrupted agriculture and urban life in the late period, contributing to regional collapse around the 7th century. The Moche were followed by later coastal cultures, such as the Lambayeque-Chimú, and ultimately the Inca. Archaeological finds, including elite burials and extensive ceramic repertoires, have made the Moche a key reference in Andean prehistory.