home

=Argument=

The Moche people from the coast Northern Peru are widely known for their impressive metal work and erlaboratly decorated lifstyles, but how did they become this way? Through this website I willl proide you with an understanding of why Moche or "Mochica" art and architecture is directly responsible for forming their religion. Religious iconography and ideaology was expressed through the art of a Moche artist. Fine line paintings on pottery and architecture that sometimes depict rituals and great gods that influenced the Moche to believe in a unifying religion. This religion is based on a major storm called El Niño that reoccurrs in the Andes and other places in the world. There are two huge religious structures located at Cerro Blanco (White Mountain), the capital of the Moche Empire. First, there is the Huaca del Sol to the west. This massive pyramid was made through many stages and is the largest adobe structure in the Andes Mountains. Sol may have held a large role as the capital of the Moche. Within this huge structure are the bodies of ancient Moche rulers, however Sol has experienced a lot of water damage and not much remains today.

Next, the Huaca de la Luna is used as a ritual space. There is evidence of human sacrifices found within some areas of Luna. Sometimes the bodies found are accompanied by clay figurines. The purposes of the rituals are still unclear but El Ni ño may be directly related to some of the rituals.

My UCF Class: http://ucfant3165board.wikispaces.com/