We explain what the Huari culture was, the stages that make it up and its society. Also, what are its characteristics, religion and economy.
The Huari culture is one of the most important pre-Inca civilizations in the Andean area.
What is the Huari culture?
The Huari culture (also known as “wari”) was a pre-Columbian Andean civilization that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries AD. C. in the central Andes of present-day Peru. For centuries, the Wari culture has been considered part of the Tiwanaku culture, due to the similarity of their architectural and ceramic styles. However, with the advancement of archaeological studies, specialists consider that the Huaris were a people with their own political, social and cultural identity.
At the moment, More than 50 archaeological sites belonging to this culture are recognizedArchaeologists still debate the nature of the expansion of the Huari culture in the region. Some believe that the Huaris managed to build an empire that governed the conquered peoples with a centralized political and administrative structure. On the other hand, other specialists maintain that from the political growth of the city of Huari, the neighboring peoples assimilated their culture but maintained their political autonomy.
See also: Olmec culture
Geographic and temporal location of the Huari culture
Towards the end of the first stage, the enclaves of Ica and Moquegua emerge.
The Huari culture It developed between the 7th and 13th centuries AD.within the Middle Horizon period (600-1200 AD) of the Andean chronology. This people founded the city of Huari in the territory of the current department of Ayacucho, in Peru, and extended towards the north (department of Lambayeque), the south (department of Moquegua) and the east (department of Cusco). This region is an arid zone, with little influx of water sources.
Archaeologists divide Huari history into various stages, according to the development of their main city:
- Stage 1A. During this stage the construction and growth of the city of Huari took place. Ceramic and textile production was influenced by the iconography and ceremonial motifs of the Tiahuanaca culture. Towards the end of the stage, the Huari settlements of Ica and Moquegua emerged.
- Stage 1BDuring this period, social differentiation deepened within the city of Huari, which continued to grow and received a wave of immigration from the surrounding regions. This growth encouraged the construction of trade routes and other urban centers such as Wiracochapampa and Pikillaqta.
- Stages 2A and 2B. In these periods there was greater expansion, and the influence of the Huari culture reached its maximum extent.
- Stages 3 and 4. This stage was characterized by the demographic decline of the city of Huari and the increase in the autonomy of the other urban centers, with a break in the domination and political influence of the capital city over the rest of the region.
Huari political and social organization
The Huari culture built its urban centers in a planned manner.
Based on the study of archaeological remains, specialists consider that the Huari people had a stratified society. Although it is not known in detail how the social strata were differentiated, government and religious functions were monopolized by an elite who lived in urban centers. The city of Huari came to occupy 1,500 hectares and is believed to have had more than 20,000 inhabitants.
Between the 7th and 10th centuries AD, the Huari culture expanded throughout the region and It came to encompass the current territories of Lambayeque, Cajamarca, Moquegua and part of Cusco. It is believed that this expansion was the product of a process of military conquests, through which the city of Huari imposed a system of tributes in kind and work (later known as mita). However, there is no certainty of the level of control that the rulers of the city of Huari exercised over the other urban centers.
In the planned organization of the Huari urban centers, temples and some walled government buildings were differentiated. The cities were built based on a north-south axis and The different centers were linked through a network of roads. The peasant population lived in villages in the region and went to the cities to fulfill the tasks imposed by the central government and attend religious ceremonies.
huari economy
The Huari people developed agriculture in an arid area with few water sources. To do this, they built a network of canals that allowed them to maintain irrigation and extend the crop area. These construction works required a centralized organization of materials and labor.
With the city of Huari dominating the region, tributes in kind and in work were establishedThe Huaris created a system of work shifts (which was later used by the Incas under the name of half), from which they capitalized on the labor of the conquered peoples and achieved the construction of large-scale works.
The basis of agricultural production was potatoes, corn and quinoa.. For the production of their textiles they grew cotton. In addition, they took advantage of the grasslands in the high areas for raising vicuñas, llamas and alpacas.
Elements of the Huari culture
The Huari culture influenced textile designs throughout the region.
- Influences. During the first period of their history, the Huaris were influenced by the cultures of Tiahuanaco and Nazca. This can be seen through the iconography and motifs they used in their ceramic and textile productions. The Huaris represented images of the “god of the staffs,” which specialists link with the images of Wiracocha, god of the Tiahuanaco culture. The Nazca influence was seen in the polishing methods and colors used in Huaris ceramics.
- Architecture. The Huari people built walled urban centers in a planned manner, with temples and government buildings that reached 3 floors and underground chambers. The building was made based on stones joined with mud. Some urban centers had plazas, corridors along a north-south axis, galleries and plazas with a rectangular base.
- CeramicsThe Huaris created a ceramic style that was used by later cultures. They made bottles, vases and other everyday items. Characteristic of the Huari culture are the double-spouted bottles and the jugs decorated with human faces.
- TextilesThe Huari culture is known for the production of cotton and wool textiles: tapestries, clothing, bags and blankets. The fabrics were dyed with a variety of bright colors such as blue, red, white, gold and yellow. In addition, some textiles were decorated with special iconography for ceremonial use. Specialists believe that through weaving, the Huaris encoded different concepts in a visual way, which allowed them to express content about their social rank, their beliefs and even their ethnic affiliation.
- Town planningThe Huari society was distinguished by the growth of urban centers where the governing elites resided, while the rest of the population lived in villages and small agricultural settlements. In addition to the city of Huari, the main urban centers of this culture were: Piquillacta, Moquegua, Cerro Baúl, Huaricoto and Wilcahuain.
Continue with: Andean Civilizations
References
- Schreiber, KJ (1992). Wari imperialism in middle horizon Peru (No. 87). University of Michigan Museum.
- McEwan, G. F. (Ed.). (2009). Pikillacta: the Wari empire in Cusco. University of Iowa Press.
- Pérez, I. (2000). Megalithic funerary structures in the Huari complex. PUCP Archaeology Bulletin(4), 505-547.
- Venturoli, S. (2006). Construction and spatial organization of the city of Huari: between myth and history.
- Calderón, IP Wari, complex pre-Hispanic city in the Andean area. AYACUCHO IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF CULTURAL SCIENCES201.
- González Carré, E. (2004). The Chanca manors: History, myths and legends.
- “A completely intact imperial tomb of the Huari culture is found in Peru” in National Geographic.
- “Huari” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.