Chincha culture facts for kids
The Chincha culture was a group of Native Peruvian people. They lived near the Pacific Ocean in southwestern Peru. The Chincha Kingdom and its culture were very strong between 900 CE and 1450 CE. This time is known as the Late Intermediate Period in pre-Columbian Peru. The Chincha people were famous for trading by sea. They lived in a large, fertile valley. An important old ruin linked to the Chincha is La Centinela, found near the city of Chincha Alta.
The Chincha people mostly disappeared a few decades after the Spanish conquest of Peru began in 1532. Many of them died from European diseases. The political changes after the Spanish invasion also caused problems.
The Chincha people gave their name to several things. These include the Chinchaysuyo Region, the Chincha Islands, and the animal called the chinchilla. The city of Chincha Alta is also named after them. The word "Chincha" means "Ocelot" in the Quechua language.
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Where the Chincha Lived
The Chincha valley is one of the biggest valleys on Peru's Pacific coast. It is about 220 kilometers (137 miles) south of Lima. The desert around it gets almost no rain. But the Chincha River flows from the Andes mountains. This river waters a large valley shaped like a triangle. It stretches about 25 kilometers (16 miles) along the coast and 20 kilometers (12 miles) inland. Today, about 22,000 hectares (54,000 acres) of land are farmed here. The Chincha people likely farmed a similar amount long ago. The Pisco River valley is 25 kilometers (16 miles) south and is similar in size.
Chincha History
Early Times in Chincha
People have lived along the Peruvian coast for at least 10,000 years. The first people were probably fishermen. They used the rich ocean resources from the Humboldt Current. Later, farming with irrigation developed in the river valleys. The first known villages in the Chincha valley date back to about 800 BCE. These belonged to the Paracas culture.
From 100 BCE to 800 CE, the Chincha valley was influenced by the Nazca culture. The powerful Wari Empire also influenced the Chincha valley from about 500 CE to 1000 CE.
Between the 9th and 10th centuries, the way people lived on the coast changed. New farming and building styles appeared. Some experts believe this change came from people moving into the area. This earlier culture is called the "Pre-Chincha" culture. These early people mostly relied on fishing and collecting shells.
The Chincha Culture Rises
In the 11th century, the advanced and strong Chincha culture began. This might have happened when people from the highlands moved to the coast. The Chincha people developed ways of building, farming, and watering their crops. The Chincha culture soon controlled the entire valley.
The Chincha people worshipped a jaguar god. They believed they came from jaguars. This belief made them feel strong and warlike. They used dead birds and guano (bird droppings) to fertilize their fields. This knowledge was passed down to other groups.
Chincha traders used llamas to carry goods over land. They traveled to the Andean Plateau and Cusco. The Chincha were also skilled sailors. They built large rafts from balsa wood. Some rafts could carry twenty people and a lot of cargo. They also used sails, which was rare in the Americas before Columbus arrived. This allowed the Chincha to trade widely by sea. They might have even traveled as far as Central America. The Chincha sea traders worshipped a star called Chundri, which they may have used for navigation.
La Centinela: A Chincha City
The Chincha ruin of La Centinela was one of the first old sites in Peru studied by archaeologists. The site is very large, covering over 75 hectares (185 acres). It has two big pyramids, La Centinela and Tambo de Mora. These were made of adobe bricks and were homes for the Chincha leaders. The area around them had workshops for people who worked with silver, textiles, wood, and pottery. However, like most ancient sites, La Centinela was probably used more for ceremonies than for living or trading.
A network of straight roads spread out from La Centinela. This was a common way to build roads in the Andes. These roads went east and south from La Centinela. They led to other ceremonial centers. They also helped transport goods to the Paracas valley to the south. Goods also went towards the Andes mountains, which are about 20 kilometers (12 miles) inland from La Centinela.
An old Spanish record says that the Chincha population had 30,000 households. This included 12,000 farmers, 10,000 fishermen, and 6,000 traders. These numbers suggest a total population of over 100,000 people. They likely controlled a larger area than just the Chincha valley. The large number of fishermen and traders shows how important trade and the sea were to their economy. The Chincha, like the Chimor and other Andean cultures, used money for trade.
Chincha and the Incas
Spanish writers in the 1500s wrote down Chincha history from local Peruvian people. Even though these stories sometimes differ, we can still understand the main parts of Chincha history. Pedro Cieza de León described Chincha as a "great province, respected in old times... splendid and grand... so famous throughout Peru that many natives feared it." The Chincha people were expanding their power along the coast and into the Andes mountains. This was happening at the same time the Incas were building their empire in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The Chincha controlled a rich and important oracle (a place where people believed gods spoke) called Chinchaycamac. This oracle was probably near La Centinela. People from Chincha and other areas gave gifts to it, showing their wealth.
The Chincha were most famous for their trade by sea. Pedro Pizarro said that Atahualpa (an Inca emperor) claimed the Chincha ruler had 100,000 sea-going rafts. This was probably an exaggeration, but it shows how important Chincha and its trade were. Trading voyages using balsa rafts went up and down the Pacific coast. They traveled from southern Colombia to northern Chile, and possibly even to Mexico. This trade often involved luxury items like gold, silver, and special seashells like Spondylus and Strombus.
Some experts believe the Chincha gained control over much of this sea trade later in the 1400s. The Incas conquered the Chimor kingdom in northern Peru around 1470. They then gave control of the trade to the Chincha. The Chincha's location near the Inca homeland in the mountains made them a good trading center. The balsa wood for rafts and the special seashells came from Ecuador, about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) to the north. This shows how far the Chincha's trading activities reached.
The first time the Incas went to the Chincha Kingdom was led by General Capac Yupanqui. He was the brother of the emperor Pachacuti (who ruled from 1438–71). Some stories say it was an attempt to make friends, not to conquer. When Capac Yupanqui arrived, he said he only wanted the Chincha to accept Inca power. He gave gifts to the Chincha leaders to show the Inca's greatness. The Chincha had no problem recognizing the Inca and continued to live peacefully.
The next emperor, Topa Inca Yupanqui (ruled 1471–93), officially added the Chincha Kingdom to the Inca Empire. However, the Chincha rulers kept much of their political and economic freedom. Their traditional leaders also stayed in power. The Chincha king had to spend several months each year at the Inca emperor's court. But he was given the same honors as the highest Inca nobles.
The lord of Chincha was the only person in Atahualpa's group carried on a special chair (a litter) when he met the Spanish. In Inca culture, being carried on a litter in front of the Sapa Inca (the emperor) was a huge honor. The Chincha likely supported Atahualpa during the Inca Civil War. Atahualpa said the lord of Chincha was his friend and the greatest lord of the lowlands. The Chincha lord was first mistaken for Atahualpa because he showed so much wealth when he met Francisco Pizarro. He was then killed in the battle of Cajamarca in 1532, when Emperor Atahualpa was captured by the Spanish.
Spanish Rule
The Spanish first arrived in the Chincha valley in 1534. A Dominican Catholic mission was started there by 1542. After the Spanish arrived, the Chincha population dropped very quickly. This was mostly because of European diseases and political problems. Experts believe the population fell by 99 percent in the first 85 years of Spanish rule. Chincha never became as important as it once was.
See also
In Spanish: Cultura chincha para niños
Images for kids
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The Chincha culture area, in gold.
