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=Meet the Moche= The ancient Moche Culture of coastal Peru thrived during the Early Intermediate Period. Long before the Inca, Moche people were building large monumental architecture, such as Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna, making beautiful ceramics with fine line paintings on them, and constructing fantastic gold, silver, and copper artifacts.

=Moche Culture= The Moche Culture existed between 100AD and 800AD and spread up and down the Peruvian Coast (Schorsch 1998). During their reign they built thriving cities at Sipan, Loma Negra, La Mina, San Jose De Moro, and Panamarca. The Huacas, or holy places, of the empire were the great pyramids of Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna. This place served as a cultural center for the Moche. It was also an important site in Moche Religion. The Moche Art consisted of ceramics, metal jewelry, and textiles. Moche Pottery includes stirrup-spouted pots, beer jars for brewing, and Portrait head vessels. Some ceramics depict themes and narratives that some argue comprise a system of writing. This wiki focuses on on Moche Metal artifacts and Moche Metallurgy Technology. The Moche were highly skilled in making metal objects out of silver, copper, and gold. They made ear spouls, nose ornaments, back and head fans, and much more. They were skilled in smelting, making alloys, and even gilding copper with gold. The large amount of metal artifiacts unearthed in the last three decades has lead to Moche metalwork being viewed as some of the most sophisticated in ancient America (Schorsch 1998).

By Eric Lauer

References

Friedman, A. M., Olsen, E., & Bird, J. B. (1972). Moche copper analyses: Early new world metal technology. //American Antiquity,// //37//(2), 254-258. Retrieved from []

Lechtman, H., Erlij, A., & Barry, E. J.,Jr. (1982). New perspectives on moche metallurgy: Techniques of gilding copper at loma negra, northern peru. //American Antiquity,// //47//(1), 3-30. Retrieved from []

Schorsch, D. (1998). Silver-and-gold moche artifacts from loma negra, peru. //Metropolitan Museum Journal,// //33//, 109-136. Retrieved from []