VICÚS CULTURE: MAIN CHARACTERISTICS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The vicús culture developed during the 100 years BC. C and 400 d. C. between the valleys and the coast of Piura, in Peru. This civilization had a small territorial expansion and its multiple artistic manifestations transcended other cultures.

This allowed for a very beneficial knowledge exchange. Its cultural wealth was discovered in 1960 by clandestine treasure hunters.

These people stole thousands of pieces of metal, precious stones, ceramics and foreign objects, while desecrating more than two thousand graves. The most representative of the vicús culture is precisely ceramics and metallurgy.

The loss of archaeological information on the vicús culture is irrecoverable, so the reconstruction of its history has been complex, since most of the legacy of this town is found in collections outside the country.

The vicús culture plays an important role in the cultural link of ancient Peru with Ecuador, since in both countries the colors of the textiles and their designs are similar, just as their ceramics have great similarity.

The vicús culture was divided into three phases: a first stage called chavín, in which they were influenced by the customs of this culture.

The second phase was regional development, which consisted in the creation of ceramics with their own style under the vicús-vicús seal. The last stage was influenced by the Mochica culture.

Main features

Religion

The vicús worshiped the god Aia Paec, from the Mochica religion. Said god was an image of an anthropomorphic being, with feline fangs and strongly esoteric, to which sacrifices were offered.

Aia Paec has been listed as "the cutthroat." They considered him good luck for the crops, but at the same time it was believed that he could transform people into demons.

The Vicús culture had a deep respect for the sea; They believed that it was the abode of the gods and that they came out every evening to train.

They also thought that the earth floated on the sea and that the Sun rested at each setting.

On the other hand, music was of great importance in the vicús funeral ceremonies before the cremation. Various instruments have been found such as flutes, ceramic drums and whistles, among others.

Economy

The economic development of this culture was driven by agriculture, which had a hydraulic engineering system with rain collectors and canals for irrigation of the plantations.

The vicús also worked livestock and domesticated animals such as guinea pig, duck, llama and rabbit.

They were also familiar with fishing and exchanged crafts with other cultures.

There was a large agricultural population in which women also worked. The vicús used guano as fertilizer, and produced corn, squash, squash and various types of fruits.

They used these crops for their food and also hunted birds.

Society

The vicús culture was extremely macho. Only the man could wear elegant short robes, ornaments, makeup, large ear studs and jewelry.

Nobility women had the right to wear only plain clothing. This is a reflection of the macho character of this society.

Its social organization was very complex. It was made up of five social classes: the curaca were the kings and lived in luxury. Soldiers were in second place and enjoyed certain privileges.

In the third tier were the craftsmen, who were dedicated to their work full time. In fourth place were the peasants and fishermen. Lastly, there were the slaves, who were people taken from wars.

Architecture

Vicús architecture defines that the structures were organized in the direction of the heavenly bodies. The buildings were made of mud and adobe, with skylights and sloping roofs.

The vicús built tombs in the shape of wells, in the same way that the Paracas made their graves.

Almost two thousand mass graves have been discovered, which have a depth of 4 to 11 meters. However, there are wells 15 meters long by 2 meters wide.

It has been concluded that the deepest tombs belonged to the elite, since their belongings were kept in unique pieces of pottery with large amounts of goldsmithing.

At present it is a mystery to know how they could work in these ducts of just 75 cm in diameter, which could cause the suffocation of excavators.

Ceramics

The pottery of the vicús had two stages. The first was influenced by the Chavín culture and then, as time passed, this culture took its own style.

This own style was characterized by a solid and rustic texture, with grotesque details, exaggerated and disproportionate to the human figure.

Most of the pieces were painted in various colors, such as brown, orange, yellow, and red. His trend was realistic and is classified into three styles:

- Vicús negative

These ceramics have lines in simple circles, spirals and triangles, mostly accompanied by drawings of animals, warriors, erotic scenes, musicians and naked human figures of both sexes.

- White on red vicus

It is similar to the negative vicús in the shapes of its containers, with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic sculptures, but its decoration is based on white with incisions and lines.

- Whistling Huacos

They are ceramic containers that emit sounds similar to those of birds, snakes and monkeys.

This is achieved due to the pressure of the air that drives the liquid inside the vessel. This style is called vicús-vicús.

Metallurgy

In the Vicús culture, great metallurgists worked who developed gold, silver, copper and precious stones.

With these materials they made different personal objects such as masks, bracelets, necklaces, crowns and pectorals.

In addition, they made weapons such as spears, axes, javelins and truncheons, and also tools for crops. They also made instruments such as tweezers, crescent-shaped knives, needles, and chisels.

Generally the pieces made were covered by a layer of copper; This is why, by polishing the surface, you can bring out a golden shine with anthropomorphic, geometric and hybrid forms between animals and humans.

References

1. Kelly Hearn. Vicús Pyramids. (2008). Source: news.nationalgeographic.com
2. American Cultures: Vicús. Source: precolombino.cl
3. The Vicús Culture. Source: tampere.fi
4. Kurt Buzard. Virú Culture, Northern Peru. (2016). Source: traveltoeat.com
5. Peter Kaulicke. The Vicús-Mochica Relationship. (2006). Recovered from: link.springer.com