The Wari or Huari culture developed from the 7th to the 13th century AD. It took place in Cuzco, in the center of the Peruvian Andes, and it was the first Andean empire.
This city was militaristic and its important source of radiation was the administrative centers that controlled all its territories.
The Wari army fought and conquered the nearby towns; Their main weapons were stone axes, spears, bows and arrows.
The origin of the Wari is a fusion between the Tiahuanaco, Nazca and Huarpa cultures. The Wari Empire instilled in the Incas the value of cultural union.
In its political and social aspect, the Wari culture implemented the thought of the new urban life establishing a walled city, although the borders of the territory were preserved in a rural state.
This culture was divided into four periods. In the first epoch, the state and the city arose with influences from the Tiahuanaco culture, centered on technology and religion.
In the second period the changes were radical, the city grew rapidly as it expanded from north to south and to the central coast.
In the third stage a political change took place and the population grew considerably. And in the fourth phase the Wari were depopulated due to climate change, so the administration and its projects disappeared.
Main features
1- Religion
The Wari religion adopted the gods, myths and ceremonies of the Tiahuanaco culture. They worshiped the god of Wands or the god Cross.
Through textiles they transmitted their religious thoughts. The robes embroidered with mystical iconography were part of the clothing of the priests to perform the ceremonies and rituals.
The temple of Pachacamac was the most important place where the cults were held. The Wari religion spread from the north to the south, encompassing a large part of the sierra to the Callejón de Huaylas.
The evidence of its expansion has its origin in the findings of pieces used for its ceremonies, which were found throughout all the mentioned places.
2- Architecture
In the Wari civilization large buildings could be seen. These include temples, mausoleums and underground galleries.
They introduced the urban architectural model in the city, where the different administrative public buildings located in strategic sites stand out. This shows that it was a rigid and planned society.
The Wari capital consisted of large walled urban cities, with warehouses, streets, squares and courtyards.
The residences of the military and political elite were built on three floors. Some of these structures were painted white, which in turn caused them to glow in the sunlight.
Its buildings were mostly rectangular and in other cases square, and were built of stone and clay. In addition, they built roads that connected the nearby towns.
The walls or capillapatas were built with elongated stones glued with mud. These walls have heights of 8 meters to 12 meters high by 3 meters wide, exceeding 400 meters long. This formed a great fence.
The Pachacamac temple is one of the most important religious centers in Wari architecture. This enclosure functioned as an oracle.
It is a pyramid-shaped platform with steps and six sides. In this temple there are warehouses, rooms, a main square and an atrium, among other spaces.
3- Economy
The Wari empire did not have currency for trade, since the government was in charge of the production and distribution of products.
However, the Wari people produced their own food and bartered in the commercial centers for ceramics, textiles, precious stones, goldsmiths and statuettes.
The Wari economy was based on agriculture. Thanks to the manufacture of canals and irrigation systems, they managed to promote a greater production of corn, mashua, quinoa, potatoes, cassava, sweet potatoes, cotton, coca, among other products.
Through manufacturing, the town managed to expand throughout the central Andes, from the 6th to the 10th centuries. On the other hand, they also dedicated themselves to livestock raising llamas and alpacas.
The network of roads that connected with all the provincial administrative centers were vital for the Wari Empire, sustaining economic relations and thus providing better communication with other communities.
As a result, this city became an engine of production, exploitation of mineral, agricultural, livestock and manufacturing wealth due to its rigorous planning.
4- Ceramic
In the first phase of Wari ceramics, their pieces were large, made for funeral rituals as offerings. This practice shows the influence of the Tiahuanaco culture.
As time went by, the size of the ceramic pieces was reduced and the production became much more ambitious.
The designs of the ceramics were inspired by animals, mystical beings and mythological beings with the heads of felines.
Wari pottery was polychromatic. Its colors include a cream tone, ocher, black, red and brown.
His pieces were characterized by having bright colors; the ceremonial bowls were the most relevant objects.
Bottles, modeled vessels, vases and small jugs with a sphinx neck were also very common.
5- Textile
The wari textiles were of good quality and used white, black, bright red, bright blue, gold and gray fibers.
Their designs were shaped like pumas, condors, mythological beings, and human heads. They used wool to make clothing.
His tapestries are among the finest in the world, for their aesthetics and images; These were made of cotton and vicuña wool.
On the other hand, the robes were made with brightly colored abstract and geometric designs.
Most of the designs were in the form of patterns and used the tapestry technique for their elaboration.
Also, the Wari made beautiful cotton and feather fabrics, which show great harmony in color.
The tapestry weavers created very large looms, 2 meters high by 2 meters wide, so it took two or more makers who had to work months continuously to complete a piece.
The creations contained vertical bands with repeating patterns, with a weft and simple crosses on a warp so they would not fray.
In some cases you can see compressed figures, while in others the image is magnified.
References
- Mark Cartwright. Wari Civilization. (2015). Source: ancient.eu
- Huari. Source: britannica.com
- The Wari Culture. Source: tampere.fi
- The locations of Wari culture. Source: am-sur.com
- William Harris. Huari Administrative Structure. (1991). Recovered from: books.google.com