AN HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY 0F {RRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN THE CHICAMA VALLEY, PERU Thesis for the Degree of M. A. MICHIGAN STATE SNWERSITY JAMES S. KUS 196.7 r—uz.‘uru~.gu fl. vb LIBRA lax/“‘1 ' 1‘ V 1 " ‘blia' ' ' 5. '.l State University , M? "WI/fl '7ng I KIWI/1m WIN/WW mm 696 4294 v ABSTRACT AN HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN THE CHICAMA VALLEY, PERU by James S. Kus This thesis constitutes a survey and analysis of irrigated agriculture in the Chicama Valley of northern coastal Peru. This valley is one of many within the region in which a long sequence of occupation has been recognized. By studying the relationships between agricultural patterns of the early cultures and those of the Valley today a better understanding of the region can be achieved. The Chicama River, which originates in the Andes about one hundred miles from the Pacific Ocean,is used ex- tensively for irrigation. The coastal part of its valley is only about thirty miles wide and would be a desert ex- cept for irrigation water from the river. In recent years wells have been used in the coastal areas to increase the amount of water available. The major crop cultivated is sugar cane, which is grown on large haciendas. There are two sugar mills which process the cane from all fields in the valley. The pro— duction of these mills, including several grades of sugar and various by-products, is consumed in the northern coastal region, in other areas of Peru, and in the rest of the world. Other crops, including rice, maize, beans and squash, are James S. Kus grown on a limited basis. The cultural history of the Chicama Valley has been traced for over 4,000 years. One of the earliest sites thus far discovered on the Peruvian coast, Huaca Prieta, is near the mouth of the Chicama River and was occupied for almost two thousand years by primitive agriculturalists. Later peoples developed elaborate irrigation systems to permit the cultivation of crops on extensive areas of the coastal plain. The most important of these were the Mochica and Chimu, both highly advanced in their agricultural tech- niques and socio—political development. It has commonly been asserted that more extensive areas were cultivated during the Mochica and Chimu eras than are under cultiva- tion today. However, a major conclusion of this study is that at no time in the past has the amount of land under irrigation been more extensive than at present. The thesis concludes with a discussion of factors causing changes in land use from prehistoric to modern times. AN HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN THE CHICAMA VALLEY, PERU By James S. Kus A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Geography 1967 j 1‘ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As with any undertaking of this type, many people have contributed to the completed work. This study could not have been conducted without the grant for travel received from the Ford Foundation, through the Latin American Studies Center at Michigan State University, or the use of facili- ties at Hacienda Cartavio, which were made available through the good offices of Mr. Norman Carignan, a Vice President- of the Latin American Group of w. R. Grace and Company. For assistance in securing these grants, for in- itial suggestions and ideas while in the field, for guid- ance during the writing of this thesis and for extensive editing, I thank my advisor, Dr. C. w. Minkel, Professor of Geography at Michigan State University. Other faculty members at Michigan State University, including Dr. Dieter Brunnschweiler, Dr. Joseph Spielberg, and Mr. Ernest Kidder, contributed ideas to the development of the study. Dr. M. M. Walmsley, of Case-Western Reserve University, encour— aged my study of geography and first stimulated my interest in Latin America. Many other faculty members and students have contributed ideas and suggestions which have been in- corporated in this thesis. The assistance of many people in Peru must be ack- nowledged. Sr. Percy Barkely, Mr. Ted Lindsey, and Dr. ii James Ialy, of w. R. Grace and Company, were very helpful in the initial stages of field research. Professor Rodriguez Suy-Suy of the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo and Sr. Jorge Levallos Quinones, Director of the Museo de Arqueo— legia of the University, furnished valuable material, and Sr. Abel Vega Ocampo, the librarian of the Museum, was a ready source of assistance during the study of literature on the early north coast cultures. The Director of the Departamento de Aguas de Regadio, Sr. Carlos A. Lizarraga F. D., and the head of irrigation in the Chicama Valley, Ing. César Gonzales Vasquez, provided valuable information. The president of the Comité de Productores de Azucar, Sr. Carlos Orbegoso Barda, and its technical secretary, Alberto Cedion P., also gave freely of their time. Dr. George Bornhardt, of Projecto Tinaiones, in the Cajamarca area, clarified my thinking with regard to coast-sierra relation- ships and answered many questions during travel through the northern sierra. In the Chicama Valley I left many friends, to whom I owe debts for assistance in carrying out my study. At Hacienda Cartavio, Sr. Manuel Mendiola, Sr. Guillermo Ganoza, Sr. Manuel Monterro, and Ing. Jaime Seoane were especially helpful. Dr. George Husz, the director of the agricultural experiment station at Hacienda Casa Grande, aided in the study of water use and requirements of various crops in the valley. Finally, Sr. Fernando Rey, of Colmansa iii Ingenieros, was of great assistance in the analysis of physical features of the Chicama Valley and also furnished detailed air photos. To all of the people who have assisted in this undertaking, I give my sincere thanks. Especially, I must express thanks to my parents, who have furnished support for the past two years of study at Michigan State Univer- sity, which are concluded with this thesis. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . ii LIST OF TABLES O O O O O O O O O O O 0 vii LIST OF MAPS AND FIGURES. viii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . [—1 The Problem. The Study Area Procedure. Conclusions. (”:5an II. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY . \‘l The Northern Coast . The Chicama Valley . III. ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY . The North Coast: Transportation . The North Coast: Agriculture. The North Coast: Other Economic Activities The Chicama Valley: Transportation. The Chicama Valley: Agriculture . Sugar Cane: Planting and Irrigation Sugar Cane: Mechanization . Sugar Cane: Processing and Shipment Other Agricultural Commodities IV. PRE-INCA CULTURES o o o o o o o 72 The Northern Coast: Culture Sequence. 72 The Incipient Era. 75 The Developmental Era. 76 The Florescent Era . 80 The Climactic Era. 82 The Northern Coast: Spatial Distribution 0 Cultures . 84 The Incipient Era. 84 The Developmental Era. 86 The Florescent Era . 89 The Climactic Era. oooooI-hooooo 93 Chapter Page The Chicama Valley . 94 The Incipient Era. 95 The Developmental Era. 98 The Florescent and Climactic Eras. 100 V. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRE-INCA AND MODERN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS . 108 The Northern Coastal Region. 108 The Chicama Valley . 112 Summary and Conclusions. 117 BIBLIOGRAPHY. O O O O O O O 0 O O O O I O O O O O O O 119 vi LIST OF TABLES Page Hydrographic Summary of Northern Coastal Rivers Of Peru 0 O O I O O O 0 O O O O O O O O O O O 19 Meteorological Data for the Chicama Valley, Peru. 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O I O O O 0 26 Average Rate of Flow, Chicama River, Peru . 32 Northern Peruvian Ports--l96l: Percentage of Total Peruvian Imports and Exports. 38 Economic Importance of Various Crops in Peru. 41 Water Rights in the Chicama Valley, Peru. 58 Hacienda Cartavio: Irrigation and Labor Data . 61 Cartavio Sugar Mill: Tons and Source of Cane GrOund, 1928-1966 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o 68 Cartavio Sugar Mill: Production of Sugar and its By-prOdUCtS o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 69 10. Archaeological Eras of Northern Coastal Peru. 74 vii LIST OF MAPS AND FIGURES Map Page l. The Physical Divisions of Peru . 2. Principal Rivers of Northern Coastal Peru. 16 3. The Chicama Valley . 23 4. Economic Features of Northern Coastal Peru . 37 5. Economic Features of the Chicama Valley. 52 6. Distribution of Pre-Inca Cultures in Northern Coastal Peru . 91 7. Principal Ruins in the Chicama Valley. 97 Figure Page Types of Crops in Peru . 40 Distribution of Agricultural Return in Peru. 4O viii CHAPTER I — INTRODUCTION This thesis constitutes a survey and analysis of irrigated agriculture in the Chicama Valley of northern coastal Peru. The general objective is to evaluate the role of irrigated agriculture in relation to the trans- formation of primitive peasant society to advanced cul- tural forms and the consequent changes from subsistence to commercial land use. A more specific objective is to determine the location and extent of both present and past irrigation systems and to ascertain the causes for varia— tions that may have occurred through time. Throughout the text, a description of features in the northern coastal area precedes discussion of the Chicama Valley as a detailed example. ‘Thg_Problem During the past four to five thousand years, ad- vanced cultures developed slowly in the coastal valleys of Peru. These cultures were based upon irrigated agri— culture, for this region is one of the driest on earth. Despite repeated invasions by highland people, at least one of the coastal cultures, the Chimu, reached a high level of civilization, traces of which were still in evi- dence when the Spanish conquered the coast in 1533.