Moche culture
Moche culture Moche | |||||||||||
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| 100 CE–800 CE | |||||||||||
A map of Moche cultural influence | |||||||||||
| Status | Culturally united independent polities | ||||||||||
| Capital | Moche | ||||||||||
| Common languages | unknown, probably Mochica | ||||||||||
| Religion | Polytheist | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Early Intermediate | ||||||||||
• Established | 100 CE | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 800 CE | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | La Libertad and Lambayeque Department, Peru | ||||||||||
| History of Peru |
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| Peru portal |
The Moche civilization (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmotʃe]; alternatively, the Moche culture or the Early, Pre- or Proto-Chimú) flourished in northern Peru from about 100 to 800 AD, during the Regional Development Epoch. The capital of a Southern Moche polity was near present-day Moche, Trujillo, Peru, with several other, possibly independent, regions under Moche influence.
Many scholars contend that the Moche were not politically organized as a monolithic empire or state. Rather, they were likely a group of autonomous polities that shared a common culture, as seen in the rich iconography and monumental architecture that survives today.