221-223-0209s3 10/11/02 3:47 PM Page 221 TERMS & NAMES 3 • Chavín Early Civilizations • Nazca • Moche of the Andes MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW Around the harsh terrain of the Andes Like the early Andean civilizations, Mountains in South America, various people today must adapt to their groups created flourishing civilizations. environment in order to survive. SETTING THE STAGE While civilizations were emerging in Mesoamerica, advanced societies were also arising in South America. The early cultures of South America arose in difficult environs, namely the rugged terrain of the Andes Mountains. However, like the peoples of Mesoamerica, the early Andean cultures controlled their surroundings and created flourishing civilizations. Societies Grow in the Andes Region The Andes Mountains stretch some 4,000 miles down the western edge of South America, from Colombia in the north to Chile in the south. After the Himalayas in southern Asia, the Andes is the highest mountain range in the world. The Andes has a number of peaks over 20,000 feet in elevation. It was in the northern Andes region, in what is now Peru, that South America’s first advanced civilizations emerged. Early Settlements Along the Coast Peru was a difficult place to launch a civiliza- tion. The Andes are steep and rocky, with generally poor soil. Ice and snow cover the THINK THROUGH HISTORY highest elevations year-round. Overland travel often is difficult. The climate is also A. Contrasting severe: hot and dry during the day, and often freezing at night. How did the environ- Between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean lies a narrow coastal plain. Most of The Chavín’s ment of the Andes this plain is harsh desert where rain seldom falls. In some places, however, rivers cross artistic styles region differ from influenced peoples that of much of the desert on their path from the mountains to the sea. It was in these river valleys that throughout the Mesoamerica? the first settlements occurred. Andes region. A. Possible Answer Between 3600 and 2500 B.C. people began to establish temporary villages along the Here, a Chavín The Andes region was ceramic vessel mostly dry, mountain- Pacific coast. These first inhabitants were hunter-gatherers who relied on seafood and depicts images of ous terrain with gen- small game for their survival. Eventually, around 3000 B.C., these people began to snarling cats. erally poor soil, while farm. By 1800 B.C., a number of thriving communities existed along the coast. much of Mesoamerica was humid tropical The Chavín Period The first influential civilization in South America arose not on forests with more fer- tile soil. the coast, however, but in the mountains. This culture, known as the Chavín (sha•VEEN), flourished from around 900 B.C. to 200 B.C. Archaeologists named the culture after a major ruin, Chavín de Huántar, in the northern highlands of Peru. This site is situated more than 10,000 feet above sea level. It features pyramids, plazas, and massive earthen mounds. Chavín culture spread quickly across much of northern and central Peru. Archaeologists have found no evidence of political or economic organization within the culture. Thus, they conclude that the Chavín were primarily a religious civilization. According to this theory, Chavín de Huántar and other similar sites were important religious centers rather than outposts of a powerful empire. Nevertheless, the spread of Chavín art styles and religious images—as seen in stone carving, pottery, and textiles—demonstrates the powerful influence of this culture. Ancient Peruvians may have visited Chavín temples to pay their respects. They then carried ideas back to their communities. The Chavín are believed to The Americas: A Separate World 221 221-223-0209s3 10/11/02 3:47 PM Page 222 have established certain patterns that helped unify Andean culture and SPOTLIGHTON lay the foundation for later civilizations in Peru. Thus, like the Olmec, Headhunters the Chavín may have acted as a “mother culture.” The striking images on their pottery indicate that the Nazca may have Other Andean Civilizations Flourish been headhunters. In numerous Around the time Chavín culture declined, other civilizations were ceramic and textile designs, Nazca artisans depict the taking of human emerging in Peru. First the Nazca and then the Moche (MO•chay) built heads, probably from enemies in advanced societies that flourished for centuries in the Andes region. combat. Many ancient cultures believed the head to have special Nazca Achievements The Nazca culture flourished along the power as the seat of the soul. southern coast of Peru from around 200 B.C. to A.D. 600. This area is Taking and displaying the head of extremely dry. The Nazca developed extensive irrigation systems, an enemy was considered a way of including underground canals, that allowed them to farm the land. increasing the strength and well- being of a community. The Nazca are known for their beautiful textiles and pottery. Both Throughout history, headhunting feature images of animals and mythological beings. has been practiced around the They are even more famous, however, for an extraordinary but puz- world, from New Zealand to the zling set of creations known as the Nazca Lines. On a large, rock-strewn Balkan region in southeastern Europe. Scattered reports of head- plain, the Nazca made huge drawings by scraping away stones to reveal hunting continued well into the the lighter soil underneath. The drawings depict various plants and ani- mid-20th century. mals, including a monkey, birds, and other creatures. These drawings are so huge, however, that they can be seen only from the air. Scientists believe that the Nazca made these drawings for their gods. Moche Culture Meanwhile, on the northern coast of Peru, another civilization was reaching great heights. This was the Moche culture, which lasted from about A.D. 100 to A.D. 700. The Moche took advantage of the rivers that flowed from the Andes Mountains. They built impressive irrigation systems to water their wide range of Early Civilizations, 1200 B.C.–A.D. 700 Tropic of Cancer The region in NORTH Gulf of Mexico ATLANTIC which the Olmec AMERICA OCEAN arose included lush forests. MESO- AMERICA In addition, Caribbean Sea numerous rivers Chavín in the region Moche provided fertile Nazca farming land. Olmec 0° Equator The environment A A mazon R. of the Andes region PACIFIC N was harsh. Its dry D OCEAN E and mountainous S terrain made M farming more O difficult. U SOUTH N AMERICA T A I Tropic of Capricorn N S GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps 1. Place Along what mountain range did the early South American 40 80 civilizations arise? ° ° W 0 1,000 Miles W 2. Human-Environment Interaction What advantages did the Olmec 0 2,000 Kilometers have over the early civilizations of the Andes? 222 Chapter 9 221-223-0209s3 10/11/02 3:47 PM Page 223 Early Civilizations Around the World 1200 B.C. 900 B.C. 500 B.C. 200 B.C. A.D. 100 Olmec Chavín Zapotec establish Nazca Moche civilization arises. culture Monte Albán. culture culture The Americas emerges. emerges. arises. 1200 B.C. 1000 B.C. 500 B.C. A.D.1 A.D. 120 Africa, Asia, and Europe Around 1200 B.C. 480 B.C. 202 B.C. Around A.D. 120 Egyptian Empire Golden Age of Han Dynasty Roman Empire begins to decline. Greece begins. begins in China. reaches its height. crops, which included corn, beans, potatoes, squash, and peanuts. According to Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva, the Moche enjoyed a variety of foods: A VOICE ABOUT THE PAST The Moche enjoyed a diet rich in protein and probably better balanced than that of many modern Peruvians. Fish from the nearby Pacific were eaten fresh or sun dried. They ate Muscovy ducks and guinea pigs. To drink, there was potent chicha, a cloudy beverage fermented from corn that had been ground and boiled. Deer, now rare, were abundant. Crayfish in irrigation ditches supplemented seafood from the coast. WALTER ALVA, “Richest Unlooted Tomb of a Moche Lord” Moche tombs uncovered in the recent past have revealed a civilization with THINK THROUGH HISTORY B. Analyzing Issues enormous wealth. Archaeologists have found beautiful jewelry crafted from gold, silver, How were archaeolo- and semiprecious stones. The Moche were also brilliant ceramic artists. They created gists able to gain so pottery that depicted scenes from everyday life. Moche pots show doctors healing much information patients, women weaving cloth, and musicians playing instruments. They also show about the Moche without the help of a fierce soldiers armed with spears, leading enemy captives. Although the Moche never written language? developed a written language, their pottery provides a wealth of detail about Moche life. B. Possible Answer Nevertheless, many questions about the Moche remain. Experts still do not fully The Moche’s elabo- rate pottery provided understand Moche religious beliefs. Nor do they know why the Moche fell. Like a great deal of infor- many early cultures of the Americas, the Moche remain something of a mystery. mation about their Unlike the lands you will read about in the next chapter—which were unified by everyday life. the spread of Islam—the Americas would remain a patchwork of separate civilizations until the early 16th century. Around that time the Europeans would begin to arrive and bring dramatic and lasting changes to the American continents. Section 3 Assessment 1. TERMS & NAMES 2. TAKING NOTES 3. HYPOTHESIZING 4. ANALYZING THEMES Identify Use a chart like the one below to Would the Chavín culture have Interaction with • Chavín record important details about the been more influential if it had Environment Describe how • Nazca earliest Andean civilizations.