Early Cultures and Civilizations in South America

THE AMERICAS IN ANCIENT TIMES HIST 1301 | History Early Cultures and Civilizations in South America A thick tropical jungle that is located north of the Andes and south of Mesoamerica has long hindered frequent connection and cultural exchange between the two regions. As a result, the early South American cultures and civilizations evolved differently and reacted to various environmental conditions. By 3000 BCE, Neolithic settlements such as Norte Chico in modern-day Peru had already begun to appear. But others also multiplied in the Northern Highlands in the centuries that followed. These included locations that are now called Galgada, Kotosh, and Huaricoto; these were probably places of worship where sacrifices were made. Additionally, Sechin Alto was constructed after 2000 BCE near the shore of a desert. Subsequently, after embracing agricultural methods, communities in the Southern Highlands region surrounding Lake Titicaca (which marks the border between Bolivia and Peru) started to expand in number approximately 1400 BCE. Around 1000 BCE, they built a sizable submerged court here, indicating the sophistication of their own ceremonial practices. Approximately 900 BCE marked the beginning of what archaeologists refer to as the Early Horizon, or Formative, era in the Andes region when a single society—often referred to as the Chavín culture—expanded throughout the whole region. The entire region was influenced by the Chavín ceramic style, which is well-known for its unique depictions of many people, animals, and deities in a harmonious and flowing form. Chavín de Huántar, arguably the most significant religious hub in the culture, is the source of the name Chavín. Located in the Andes Mountains, east of the more established Norte Chico communities, this location boasts an elevation of over ten thousand feet. Its vast temple complex, which faced the rising sun and had a labyrinth of tunnels winding through, was its most striking architectural feature. Nestled deep within the tunnels was a massive sculpture known as El Lanzón, or "great lance," which may have been the primary god of this society due to its long, lance-like form. El Lanzón's characteristics, which include long fangs on either side of the lips, exposed teeth, flared broad nostrils, and claws sticking out of fingertips and toes, combine elements of the human and animal worlds. Numerous more sculptures of animals, human heads, and deities having traits of both were also used to embellish the temple; these were presumably meant to wow both locals and tourists. By 200 BCE, the population of Chavín de Huántar was decreasing, with roughly 25 hundred people living there. Rather of being a hub of people, the site's significance came from its use as a religious or ceremonial location. However, the Chavín religion and civilization had been widely dispersed over the Andes by around 400 BCE. It's uncertain if commerce or fighting spread these impacts. But eventually, they took the place of other creative and architectural movements as well as funeral customs. Around the region, innovations in the manufacturing of textiles and the metallurgy of gold, silver, and copper also flourished. Textiles and metal goods were made by artisans in towns and villages, and traders transported them from one location to another using llamas as pack animals and better roads. The impact of Chavín religious symbols and cultural forms started to decline approximately 200 BCE. This occurred during a period of heightened intergroup fighting in the region, as seen by the rise in the construction of defensive structures like walls surrounding towns. The larger Chavín-influenced area then broke apart into several smaller cultures that developed into advanced civilizations, including the Moche, Nazca, and Tiwanaku. The Moche culture first appeared in northern Peru, where it established significant towns at Sipán, Moche, and Cerro Blanco, all of which had enormous pyramid-style buildings. They were agriculturalists who grew peppers, maize, beans, squash, and other crops. They also had a strong understanding of irrigation technology. They lived in a very military culture as well; depictions of torture and other physical violence, as well as soldiers engaged in handto-hand battle, are shown in their artwork. The Moche created a highly developed political state with an advanced administrative structure. Their buildings and burial customs are examples of hierarchical societies, ruled by families of nobles and strong god rulers perched atop massive pyramids. There was a class of many bureaucrats who assisted in running the state below these two layers. The vast majority of labourers, both agricultural and nonagricultural, who resided in the numerous elite-controlled agricultural communities were situated towards the bottom of the social hierarchy. The Nazca, whose culture also began to form around 200 BCE, lived far to the south of the Moche, along the arid coast of southern Peru. The rivers that bring water from the mountains gave the Nazca enough for irrigation, despite the fact that the land is arid and that rainfall is almost nonexistent in certain places. The Nazca people usually resided in tiny villages, as opposed to the Moche who lived in vast towns. They did, however, continue to preserve significant ceremonial locations, such as Cahuachi, where locals went on pilgrimages and observed intricate fertility and other ceremonies. The Nazca people may have embraced a political structure akin to a confederation composed of several powerful families. In addition to leaving behind hundreds of geoglyphs—giant artistic depictions imprinted in the parched desert ground—they also left behind several huaca, or hills transformed by humans. These are sometimes called the Nazca Lines, and they might be geometric designs or depictions of fish, birds, lizards, and cats, among other species. Some of them are up to twelve hundred feet long, formed by removing stones from the desert floor to expose the earth below, which is coloured differently. The Tiwanaku culture flourished high in the highlands close to Lake Titicaca, while the Nazca people dwelt in the dry coastal desert. This culture, like the Moche and Nazca cultures, arose when the Chavín culture collapsed in 200 BCE. It started an era of continuous construction at its important metropolis of Tiwanaku in 100 CE. There, locals erected two substantial stone buildings that were topped by other structures and works of art etched into the stone. One distinguishing characteristic of the buildings of Tiwanaku is the many "trophy heads" that protrude from the stone blocks. Several academics have deduced that, based on the distinct facial characteristics of each head, they may be significant forebears of the Tiwanaku nobility or perhaps the gods of numerous subjugated peoples. At its height, the city may have supported up to forty thousand residents and ruled over at least four other smaller cities. With colonies on both the Pacific coast and the eastern side of the Andes, it may even have served as the hub of a kind of imperial system. The inhabitants used a network of canals to irrigate vast fields in order to harvest potatoes, which they used to maintain Tiwanaku and the other connected settlements. In addition, they bred tamed llamas and employed them as pack animals for commerce across great distances. Tiwanaku may have fallen when the water level in Lake Titicaca increased and flooded its farms, although it persisted until about 1000 CE. The Moche and Nazca civilizations, which also flourished during this era, vanished far earlier, somewhere between 500 and 600 CE, for causes that most likely involved changes in the surrounding environment. Following them were other Andean civilizations such as the Chimor of coastal Peru and the Wari of the highlands of southeast Peru. The advancements in commerce, industry, agriculture, and art made by the preceding cultures were expanded upon by these subsequent tribes. Chimor persisted into the sixteenth century, but Wari began to fade after 800 CE. Only in the 1400s did the Inca, a brand-new and rapidly growing imperial structure, subjugate Chimor.