In 1987 grave robbers unearthed a spectacular burial near the village of Sipan in northern Peru. Archaeologist Walter Alva was called in to salvage what turned out to be the burial of a Moche lord—and the richest tomb so far found in Peru since Pizarro’s conquest. Until the Sipan excavation, the little that was known about the Moche civilization (ca. first to seventh centuries AD) was the result of studying their pottery.
The name Moche derives from the Moche Valley on the Peruvian northern coast, where evidence of the architecture and pottery of this distinctive culture was first found in the early twentieth century. It was clear, even then, that the Moche were influenced by the earlier Chavin culture, and that they in turn influenced their successors, the Chimu. The large pyramids erected by the Moche, first at Huaca del Sol, and later, further inland at Galindo and Pampa Grande, map the spread of their territorial control before the end of their political power.
The Moche built irrigation systems to intensively farm the surrounding coastal river valleys, producing beans, maize, cotton, and other crops to feed their large population. They also fished using reed boats and nets, hunted deer, domesticated ducks, and used llamas as pack animals and for their wool. The reasons for the demise of the Moche are part of ongoing debates about the rise and fall of many other Andean civilizations from prehistory until the Spanish conquest: Was it because of a long drought caused by an El Nino event? Was it due to a rebellion against its small ruling elite? Or was it the consequence of the development of a rival state (in the case of the Moche or the Huari)? Or was it because of all of these reasons?
Until the site of Sipan was excavated, almost everything archaeologists knew about the Moche came from their wonderful sculpted ceramic vessels and painted pottery. These provided details of the Moche’s everyday lives and provided evidence of their social structure in their depictions of Moche rulers and lords, religious ceremonies, weapons, and battles.
The excavation of Sipan began in 1987 as a rescue project as the site was under threat from extensive looting. A few months later Walter Alva and his Peruvian colleagues were rewarded with the sensational discovery of the tomb of the “Lord of Sipan.” The discovery not only galvanized the world of American archaeology, but it also led to technical support from Germany and Spain for the conservation of large quantities of precious metals, jewels, ceramics, and carved wood found in the tomb. Conserved excavated material made significant additions to the Bruning Museum, in nearby Lambayeque.
The Lord of Sipan was buried in a wooden sarcophagus. At his head were found the skeletons of two young women, and at his sides the skeletons of a dog and two llamas. The skeleton of a young man carrying a shield was located nearby. The Lord of Sipan’s corpse was covered with gold, silver, copper, and jewels. His decoration included gold necklaces, and his skull rested on a large plate made of gold.
Two years later, and close to this tomb, further excavation revealed the tombs of “El Sacerdote” (The Priest) and ”El Viejo Senor de Sipan” (The Old Lord of Sipan), the excavation and analysis of which have continued to expand our understanding of Moche life more than 1,700 years ago.
See also Chan Chan Inscribed on the World Heritage List (1986)
Further Reading
Kirkpatrick, S. D. 1993. Lords of Sipan: A tale of pre-Inca tombs, archaeology, and crime. New York: H. Holt.
Longhena, M., and W. Alva. 1999. Splendors of the ancient Andes. London: Thames and Hudson.
Moseley, M. E. 1992. The Incogs and their ancestors. London: Thames and Hudson. Raymond, J. S. 2001. Peru. In Encyclopedia of archaeology: History and discoveries, ed. T. Murray, 1013-1018. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
World History
