The Huari or Wari culture was an aboriginal civilization of Andean origin that inhabited various regions of present-day Peru between the 7th and 13th centuries.
They were a culture of great expansive character, extending their domains to the territories today belonging to Lambayeque, Arequipa and the Department of Cusco.
Handicrafts of the huari culture
Along with the Incas, the Wari also came to be considered an imperial civilization, due to their vast conquered territories and their levels of internal organization.
In the same way, it can be considered one of the most important cultures of the Andes in the period prior to the conquest.
The Wari culture was characterized by being highly militaristic and expansionist. They came to conquer many adjacent territories through fighting and submission of the weakest.
Its capital was always the city of Wari, today located a few kilometers from the city of Ayacucho.
Due to their extensive presence, which goes from the mountains to the coast, the Wari have left a large number of traces that have made it possible to elucidate the development capabilities and technologies that they were able to implement in their time, to face the obstacles imposed on them by the various conditions of their environment.
History of the Wari
The period of existence of the Wari civilization extends for several centuries, and has been classified according to numbered stages according to specialists. These stages are six: 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3 and 4. This system was coined by the researcher D. Menzel.
In the first of these stages, what would be the capital city is founded: Wari. A new culture begins to consolidate, with great influences from other minor civilizations (according to the evidence), such as the Tiahuanacota.
Wari, the capital, begins to grow over time, attracting large numbers of people from the fields to the city.
This leads the State to conform in a more structured way to maintain control over the population. The expansion leads to the establishment of enclaves and provinces in adjacent areas in the capital.
In the more remote areas, the cultural influence that the Wari receive from the smaller and local cultures is much more evident, especially in the architectural and handicraft aspects.
Over time, and despite the size and presence of the Wari in vast territories, power remains centralized in the capital.
They would initiate the last stages of expansion before meeting the conditions that would lead historians to classify the Wari as an empire. By then, peripheral cities of great importance already exist, and not simple settlements.
During this stage, what would be the most important religious temple in the entire Wari culture begins to gain prestige: Pachacamac, whose structural and ceremonial style began to expand towards other religious centers.
The last classifying stages of the Wari culture would represent the decline of the empire and its eventual disappearance.
It would begin with the internal decline within the Wari capital, and would be complemented by a series of climatic and natural changes that would modify the living conditions of the population.
It is estimated that despite the disappearance of the Wari culture and its capital, Pachacamac would continue to be a highly prestigious religious site for many more years.
Characteristics of the Wari Empire
At its peak, the Wari empire manifested much more clearly the Tiwanaku influences that were perceived from its birth as a civilization.
In the same way, the Wari empire absorbed the cultural and military characteristics that the Huarpa culture brought with it, also present in the Ayacucho territories, whose militaristic behavior was due to the constant struggle waged in the mountainous regions.
The Wari Empire, in its capital, came to manifest a large number of public buildings, among which it has been possible to identify structures that functioned as public institutions, mausoleums, smaller temples, residences and crypts.
The canals that guaranteed the water supply ran around a large part of these buildings.
The architecture of the city of Wari presented a composition of stone and clay mainly. It was structured in zones according to their population density and governmental importance.
At its time of greatest expansion, the city had an occupied area of approximately 2000 hectares.
The expansion of the Wari empire was such that more than 20 neighboring provinces of a civil and religious nature have been counted, which were efficiently controlled from the capital city of Wari.
During the decline of civilization, some of these provinces managed to stand for longer than the capital itself.
Economy
Unlike other aboriginal cultures, the Wari managed their economic and commercial system in a very particular way.
They did not handle the concept of currency or any substitute for such; the same with the market. The State was in charge of the production, distribution and supply of resources to the Wari population.
Control of this system was maintained thanks to provincial administrative and supply centers, which guaranteed distribution in the regions furthest from the capital.
The Wari economic system was based on the implementation of taxation and exchange as economic transaction formats.
Technology
One of the main technological innovations attributed to the Wari culture, based on the remains found, has been the implementation and application of metallurgy, used to manipulate and transform bronze, copper and gold.
According to the evidence found, it has been concluded that the Wari were able to effectively implement existing techniques even today, such as rolling, casting, forging and hammering.
Similarly, it should be noted that the development of these techniques is uniquely Wari; that is, it does not seem to have had influence from other civilizations.
In some corners of the ancient Wari settlements, structures have been found whose function was to be a workshop for the exclusive metallurgical processing of materials and minerals such as copper and gold.
References
- History of Peru. (sf). Wari or Huari culture. Obtained from History of Peru: historiaperuana.pe
- Lumbreras, LG (2011). The wari empire. Lima: IFEA.
- Rostworowski, M. (1988). Andean structures of power / Religious and political ideology. Lima: Institute of Peruvian Studies.
- Watanabe, S. (2004). SOCIOPOLITICAL DYNAMICS AND CULTURAL CONTINUITY IN THE PERUVIAN NORTHERN HIGHLANDS: A CASE STUDY FROM MIDDLE HORIZON CAJAMARCA. ARCHEOLOGY BULLETIN, 105-130.