The lambayeque culture was a civilization that developed in the north of the coast of Peru between 750 and 1375 BC. The name "lambayeque" comes from the geographical area in which this civilization developed.
Although the nerve center of this culture was Lambayeque, the influence of this civilization extended much further, occupying the departments of Piura and La Libertad.
It is also known by the name of Sicán culture, which means "temple of the Moon."
The Sicán culture followed the Moche culture, although some historians argue that these were two branches of the same civilization.
This culture preceded the famous Inca Empire and excelled in various areas, among which agriculture and metallurgy stand out.
With regard to metallurgy, multiple objects have been found in the excavations that demonstrate a wide handling of gold, silver, copper, and alloys between these metals and other elements.
Location
The Sicán culture developed on the north coast of the central Andes of Peru, in what is now the department of Lambayeque.
The center of this civilization was the city of Pomac (Batán Grande), where archaeological remains of this culture are found.
History
The Lambayeque culture was studied by the Japanese archaeologist Izumi Shimada. This archaeologist divided the history of Sicán into three stages: Early Sicán, Middle Sicán, and Late Sicán.
Sicán early
Early Sicán is the first stage of development of the Lambayeque culture. It occurred between 750 and 900 BC. C.
During this period, the Sicán culture was just forming. For this reason, it was influenced by other societies that existed simultaneously, such as the Wari and the Moche.
The archaeological remains that have been found from the early Sicán (ceramic pieces and fabrics) are proof of the mixture between the Lambayeque culture and other cultures.
Middle Sicán
Middle Sicán is the period of greatest apogee of the Lambayeque culture, which occurred between 900 and 1100 BC. C.
In this period, this culture defines its characteristics and unifies them, resulting in an organized civilization.
The Sicán culture was structured around a city-state: Pomac (Batán Grande). A theocratic system was established based on the worship of the moon god, who was called Sicán, and guided by the figure of the priest-king.
During this period agriculture, metallurgy and architecture were also perfected.
Archaeologists have found objects and constructions belonging to this period. For example, many of the tombs that have been discovered were built in the Middle Sicán.
Late Sicán
The late Sicán is the last period of the Lambayeque culture, which occurred between 1100 and 1375 BC. C.
At this stage, the Sicán culture began to decline, hit by fires, droughts and the loss of authority of the priest-kings.
Over the years, the members of the civilization dispersed and were finally conquered by King Chimú, governor of the south.
Economy
The main economic activity developed by the Lambayeque culture was agriculture. To do so, they created an extensive irrigation system that covered the valleys of Lambayeque, Reque, La Leche and Saña.
Among the products obtained from agricultural activities are beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash (especially squash), corn, yucca and cotton.
They also developed a network of economic exchange with other civilizations in Ecuador, Colombia, and Chile.
Among the products exchanged are seashells, emeralds, amber stones, and metals such as gold and copper. To a large extent, trade was influenced by Lambayeque's strategic position.
Religion
In religion the most important figures were Sicán and Naylamp. The latter was a marine mythological being founded by Lambayeque.
Many of the sacred objects were created in honor of these two figures. For example, the tumi lambayeque was a kind of ceremonial knife whose handle had marine motifs and whose blade was curved like a crescent.
In addition, funerary masks were made that replicated Naylamp's features.
Among the religious rituals, burials stand out. These differed taking into account the social class of the person to be buried.
Members of the upper social class were buried in individual graves, under monuments or buildings. The rest of the town was buried in shallow mass graves.
The position in which the body was buried also depended on social class. While the rich were buried sitting, the poor were buried lying down to minimize the space they occupied.
Metallurgy
The lambayeque culture stood out in the handling of metals. The most used materials were gold, silver and copper.
They created various alloys such as the mixture between gold and silver (called tumbaga) and the mixture between copper and arsenic, which was much more resistant to corrosion than pure copper.
The flourishing of metallurgy was due to various factors. To begin with, the Lambayeque region was rich in mineral deposits, which provided abundant raw materials.
In addition, the area was surrounded by extensive forests, which provided the fuel necessary to keep the smelting furnaces burning.
In addition to this, the demand for objects for personal ornament or to decorate temples made the existence of masters in the area of metallurgy necessary.
The use of metals was of great importance in Lambayeque society, not only in the upper social classes but also in the lower ones.
The metals used differed from class to class. For example, the poorest members of the population used low-karat gold alloys, while the richest members used pure or nearly pure gold.
This shows that metals represented a kind of hierarchy within society.
References
- Grave Goods and Human Sacrifies. Retrieved on October 31, 2017, from ancient-origins.net
- Lambayeque Civilization. Retrieved on October 31, 2017, from ancient.eu
- Sican Culture. Retrieved on October 31, 2017, from go2peru.com
- Sican Culture. Retrieved on October 31, 2017, from latinamericanstudies.org
- Sican culture. Retrieved on October 31, 2017, from revolvy.com
- Sican culture. Retrieved on October 31, 2017, from wikipedia.org
- The Sicán culture. Retrieved on October 31, 2017, from roughguides.com