Introduction to Andean Civilizations
The civilizations of Andeans were early communities or societies of different people and cultures developed in the river valleys of the coastal deserts of Peru. The civilization's location stretched from southern Colombia to Chile and northwest Argentina. According to the beliefs of the archaeologists, Andean civilizations have firstly emerged on the narrow size of the coasts of the Pacific Ocean. Some famous civilizations of Andean are Huari, Chavin, Nazca, Moche and Tiwanaku civilizations. These pre-Columbian civilizations emerged around the Andeans in and near modern-day Peru. In the following article, we would learn about Chavin, Nazca, Moche, Huari and Tiwanaku civilizations in detail.
Chavin Civilization
Chavin Civilization was located in the coastal and highlands of Peru. According to an estimation by historians and archaeologists, the Chavin Civilizations was established between 900 BCE – 200 BCE. (the timeline of this civilization is a matter of dispute among historians) Chavin de Huántar which is an archaeological and cultural site in the Andean became the centre of a religious movement during this time. The location of the Chavin Civilizations is considered important as it helped to make it a special place.
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The civilization represents an important expression of arts, decorative and construction techniques of its time. The culture and ceremonial nature of the Chavin civilizations are evident in their architectural, technological and symbolic creation. The shrines constructed there emerged as an important pilgrimage centre that drew people and their offerings from far and wide. The architecture work of the Chavin Civilization was quite developed. They constructed complex designs of temples, hidden passageways, galleries, staircases, ventilation, drainage canals (technology).
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Nazca Civilization
According to archaeologists, the timeline of this civilization is 100BCE to 800 BCE. The Nazca or Nasca civilizations used to live near the arid south coast of Peru. The main occupation of the people of the Nazca civilization was agriculture. Their diet was variable and included maize, squash, sweet potatoes, beans, manioc, achira, fish and peanuts etc.
Underground aqueducts were developed by the people of Nazca which are known as puquios in order to sustain cities and agriculture in this arid climate. Most of the puquios are still operating at present time. They also made different ceramics and textiles that reflect their sacrificial and agricultural traditions.
The Nazca civilization is famous for its Nazca Lines. The Nazca Lines are geometric shapes or lines, and animal figures which are carved into the desert floor. These lines run for miles, and large drawings of animal figures (some as large as a football field). Over an extended period of time, people in a good number could have constructed the lines. The Nazca declined due to environmental changes.
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Moche Civilization
The Moche civilization lasted from approximately 100 to 800 CE and was located in modern-day Peru, near Moche and Trujillo. According to the suggestions of scholars, Moche civilization functioned as individual cities or states that share almost the same cultural elite classes. There was not an empire or a single political system.
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It is identified with the help of iconography and the discovery that in ritual and cultural ceremony human skeletons were used which indicates that in religious practices of Moche people, human sacrifice played a significant part. People of elite classes also used to perform these rites.
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The people of the Moche civilization were largely dependent on agriculture. Hence they focused on the construction of a network of irrigation canals due to the arid climate. The region is cropped by these ornate canals which divert the water from the river. The culture of Moche is popular for its expansive architecture of ceremony as it painted woven textiles and ceramics.
Huari Civilization
The Huari (Wari) civilization existed in the highland and coastal region of Peru between and highland areas of ancient Peru 450-1000 CE. The capital of Wari Civilization was located in Huari. The people of this civilization managed to construct an empire administered by provincial capitals connected by a large road network by successfully exploiting the diverse landscapes.
Typical features of Andean architecture can be seen in Huari such as densely packed rectangle structure with enclosed walls that can be further divided into a maze of compartments. The walls of the city are massive and constructed using largely unworked stones set with a mud mortar. There two or three stories of houses or administrative buildings were built and their courtyards were lined up with benches of stone set in the walls, and drains were stone-lined. The walls and floors of houses were commonly covered with plaster and painted white.
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The civilization was economically stable and prosperous which helped Huari civilization to implement a combined strategy of benefits of economy, power of military and artistic imagery to forge an empire across ancient Peru. They survived because of their superior management of the land through the period of the drought of almost 30 years.
Tiwanaku Civilization
One of the most significant Andean civilizations is the Tiwanaku civilizations. It lasted from around 600 to 1000 AD and had influence over present-day Peru and Chile. Tiwanaku was the monumental city of this civilization and also the capital of the Tiwanaku civilizations. It was located at the centre of the polity's core area in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin. The region has clear evidence of large scale production of agriculture on raised fields that probably supported the urban population of the capital.
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Tiwanaku developed into the most important pilgrimage place of the Andeans. There was a multicultural network of powerful lineages because of that people came together to construct large monuments.
At the archaeological site of the administrative buildings and storehouses are not found but there were large residential areas which have surrounded the sacred centre, these now lie under fields used for agriculture. Some structures were made using dried-mud bricks (adobe) and constructed on cobblestone foundations.
Do you know?
The Andeans Mountains are popular for their biodiversity and most Andean peaks are volcanic.
Chavin is considered the first (earliest) civilization of Andean.
Conclusion
Hence we get to know about some popular early civilizations which flourished in ancient times and contributed to archaeology and agriculture. The civilizations survived amid situations. The evidence of their prosperity and technology can be observed in their archaeological sites.
FAQs on Andean Civilizations
1. What are the Andean civilizations?
The Andean civilizations refer to a group of complex and diverse societies that developed in the Andes Mountains and the coastal river valleys of western South America, primarily in modern-day Peru. These cultures, such as the Chavín, Nazca, Moche, and Inca, were known for their remarkable adaptations to challenging environments, advanced agricultural techniques, and sophisticated artistic and architectural achievements. For a detailed overview, you can explore more about the Andean Civilizations - Chavin, Nazca, Moche, Huari & Tiwanaku.
2. Which were the major cultures of the Andean civilizations, and in what order did they appear?
The Andean region was home to numerous cultures that rose and fell over millennia. A simplified chronological order of the most prominent civilizations is as follows:
- Chavín Culture (c. 900–200 BCE): Known for its widespread religious and artistic influence rather than being a political empire.
- Nazca and Moche Cultures (c. 100–800 CE): Flourished independently on the southern and northern coasts of Peru, respectively. The Nazca are famous for their geoglyphs (Nazca Lines), while the Moche were master metalworkers and potters.
- Huari and Tiwanaku Empires (c. 600–1100 CE): Dominated the southern Andes highlands and expanded their influence through conquest and trade.
- Inca Empire (c. 1438–1533 CE): The last and largest of the Andean civilizations, which consolidated the entire region into a vast empire before the Spanish conquest.
3. How did the diverse geography of the Andes region shape its civilizations?
The extreme geography of the Andes, with its arid coastal deserts, steep mountain slopes, and high-altitude plateaus, was a powerful force in shaping its civilizations. This environment spurred incredible innovation. To survive, Andean peoples developed:
- Advanced Irrigation: In the coastal deserts, civilizations like the Moche and Nazca built extensive canal networks to water their crops.
- Terrace Farming: In the highlands, they constructed andenes (terraces) on mountain slopes to create flat, arable land and prevent soil erosion.
- Vertical Archipelago: Societies established colonies at different elevations to access a variety of resources—fish from the coast, maize from mid-altitudes, and potatoes and llamas from the highlands. This system of ecological complementarity was crucial for their survival.
4. What were the most significant achievements of the Moche civilization?
The Moche civilization, located on the northern coast of Peru, is renowned for several key achievements:
- Sophisticated Pottery: They created realistic ceramic vessels that depicted their daily life, rituals, warfare, and mythology in extraordinary detail.
- Mastery of Metallurgy: Moche artisans were highly skilled in working with gold, silver, and copper, creating intricate ornaments, masks, and tools.
- Monumental Architecture: They built massive adobe brick pyramids known as huacas, such as the Huaca del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun) and Huaca de la Luna (Pyramid of the Moon), which served as administrative and ceremonial centres.
5. Are the Inca and Andean civilizations the same thing?
No, they are not the same, but they are related. The term 'Andean civilizations' encompasses all the complex societies that existed in the Andes region over thousands of years. The Inca Empire was the final and largest of these civilizations. The Inca built their empire upon the technological, social, and administrative foundations laid by earlier cultures like the Huari, Tiwanaku, and Chimú. In essence, the Inca were the culmination of a long history of Andean cultural development, not its beginning.
6. How did Andean civilizations adapt their farming practices to the harsh mountain environment?
Andean civilizations developed several ingenious agricultural techniques to thrive in the mountains. Beyond simple irrigation, their key adaptations included:
- Terrace Farming (Andenes): They cut step-like platforms into the mountainsides to create level ground for planting, which also helped to reduce erosion and retain water.
- Diverse Crop Cultivation: They domesticated and grew crops suited for different altitudes, including potatoes and quinoa in the highlands and maize and beans in the lower valleys.
- Raised-Field Agriculture (Waru Waru): In high-altitude basins prone to flooding and frost, they created raised beds of soil surrounded by water channels. The water absorbed solar heat during the day and radiated it back at night, protecting crops from freezing.
7. Why are Andean civilizations studied separately from Mesoamerican civilizations like the Maya and Aztec?
While both were major centres of civilization in the Americas, Andean and Mesoamerican societies developed independently and had distinct characteristics. Key differences include:
- Writing Systems: Mesoamerican cultures like the Maya developed complex hieroglyphic writing systems. In contrast, Andean civilizations used the khipu (or quipu), a system of knotted strings, for record-keeping and communication.
- Domestication of Animals: The Andeans domesticated the llama and alpaca, which served as crucial pack animals and sources of wool. Mesoamerican societies lacked any large domesticated animals for transport or labour.
- Metallurgy: While both used metals for ornamentation, Andean cultures developed advanced bronze-making for tools and weapons, a technology not present in Mesoamerica.
8. What was the role of the Chavín culture in the development of the Andes?
The Chavín culture is considered a 'cultural horizon' because its influence spread across a wide area of the Andes without military conquest. Its main contribution was the dissemination of a powerful religious ideology and artistic style centred at its ceremonial centre, Chavín de Huántar. This style, featuring imagery of jaguars, eagles, and serpents, created a shared set of religious beliefs and cultural practices that unified different peoples and laid a cultural foundation for later civilizations like the Moche. Learn more about the Andean and Chavin Civilizations.
9. What is the concept of 'ayllu' and why was it fundamental to Andean society?
The ayllu was the fundamental social unit of Andean society, both before and during the Inca Empire. It was an extended family or kinship group that lived in the same area and shared land, labour, and resources. The ayllu was crucial because it formed the basis of the entire social and economic system, organising everything from farming tasks to community projects and religious rituals. The principle of reciprocity within the ayllu ensured the collective survival and well-being of the community in a challenging environment.
