Irrigation and the Origins of the Southern Moche State on the North Coast of Peru

Abstract

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Primary State Formation in the Virú Valley, North Coast of Peru

“…In his review of the origin of state societies in South America, Stanish (10) came to the conclusion that not one but three states (Moche, Wari, and Tiwanaku) independently emerged in the Andean region during the first half of the first millennium A.D., leading him to question the very notion of pristine state development. Similarly, Billman (13) noted that the debate has now shifted from whether Moche society had developed a functioning state to how many concurrent Moche states emerged along the north coast of Peru during the Early Intermediate period.…”

“…Definitions of the state are varied, yet most scholars agree that they are political organizations regarded by those who live in them as politically independent and in which specialized leaders have the authority to control the social, political, legal, economic, and cultural activities, as well as the use of force. States are visible archaeologically through a number of material indicators, including a four-tiered settlement system, evidence of defensive works and expansion, temples and palaces, tribute collection and redistribution systems, and specialized craft production (1,5,12,13). These should not be understood as elements of a definition of the state but rather for what they are: clues for identifying an anthropological and political phenomenon archaeologically (5).…”

“…Although the nature of Huacas de Moche's political influence is still debated, evidence indicates that it developed into a multivalley expansionist state around A.D. 300 (10,13,15,(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29). In recent years, Andeanists have offered a number of explanations for the spread of Moche art and architecture, which range from two or more independent polities that ruled over contiguous territories (30,31) to a constellation of political entities spread along the littoral, marked by periodic alliance of contending government systems that shared a common cultural tradition (13,23,(32)(33)(34)(35).…”

“…Recent work at the site indicates that the settlement was occupied by the second century A.D., and that it experienced a seemingly continuous urban growth until it was abandoned during the eighth century (15,16,20,22). This city was the paramount center of a complex settlement system in the Moche Valley, which featured a four-tiered administrative hierarchy engaged in the centralized management of irrigation, trade, and defense (13).…”

“…In recent years, Andeanists have offered a number of explanations for the spread of Moche art and architecture, which range from two or more independent polities that ruled over contiguous territories (30,31) to a constellation of political entities spread along the littoral, marked by periodic alliance of contending government systems that shared a common cultural tradition (13,23,(32)(33)(34)(35).…”