The Moche culture existed in northern Peru from about 100-800 AD. No written records have been found from them, thus their story is filled with mystery. What is known, however, largely comes from their art. One of the most fascinating set of images repeatedly found in Moche art is a representation of human sacrifice.
A Short Introduction to the Moche Culture
It is unknown what the Moche (Mochica) culture was originally called, but scholars named the group after a site where one of their large (possibly capital) cities has been found – Moche, the home to the famous Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna. Moche settlements have been located along the hot, dry coast of northern Peru from the Lambayeque River valley to more than 215 miles (350 km) south to the Nepeña River valley. There is less information on the Moche than many of the neighboring cultures from that time.
Moche portrait vessel. Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France. (Patrick.charpiat/CC BY 3.0)
Archaeological evidence has shown, however, that the Moche were fantastic artists, subsisted on agriculture and fishing, and knew metalworking techniques such as gilding and soldering. They built large huacas (sometimes called temples or pyramids) out of mud bricks, and used a system of canals to irrigate their crops in the dry desert.
