Pampa Grande facts for kids

A deer-headed figure on Moche pottery from Sipán, near Pampa Grande. You can see this at the Tumbas Reales de Sipán Museum in Chiclayo.

Pampa Grande is an ancient archaeological site in northern Peru. It's located in the Lambayeque Valley, right on the south side of the Chancay River. This site is east of the city of Chiclayo.

This old city was home to both the Cupisnique and Chavín people, with the earliest signs of life dating back to around 600 BC. Later, during the Moche period (around 600–700 AD), Pampa Grande grew into a very important regional capital. Another famous Moche site, Sipán, is only about 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Pampa Grande, also along the Chancay River valley.

What was the weather like at Pampa Grande?

Pampa Grande is about 54 kilometers (34 miles) away from the Pacific Ocean.

When the Moche people lived at Pampa Grande, the Lambayeque Valley usually had mild weather all year. The average temperature was about 22 degrees Celsius (72°F). It could range from 10 to 35 degrees Celsius (50°F to 95°F) depending on the season.

In the winter months (June to September), the El Niño current starts up. This brings heavy rains and strong winds to coastal areas. However, these rains rarely reached the valley, so there wasn't much rain each year. The main rainy season was from February to April. During this time, the Chancay River would fill up with water.

Even though it didn't rain much, big rains must have hit the site since the Moche period. This is because the buildings, including the main pyramid, have been badly worn away by water.

When did people live at Pampa Grande?

Here's a timeline of the different cultures that lived at Pampa Grande:

Early Horizon Period (900–200 BC)

• Cupisnique and Chavin cultures: 600–300 BC
• Moche I: 300–200 BC

Early Intermediate Period (200 BC–600 AD)

• Moche II–IV: 100 BC–500 AD. During these times, the Moche built many different kinds of buildings. Phases III and IV saw the Moche society grow stronger and more organized.

Middle Horizon (600–1000 AD)

• Moche V: 600–700 AD. During this time, Moche artists made colorful painted pots and jars. Buildings also became even more varied than before.
• Wari culture (or Huari) and Tiahuanaco: 700–800 AD. The way the settlement was planned, with rectangular walls, shows that the Huari Empire had a strong influence here.

Late Intermediate Period (1000–1450 AD)

• Chimu culture: 1000–1400 AD

Late Horizon (1476–1534 AD)

• Inca: 1476–1534 AD. It's surprising how little Inca pottery or items are left from their time, before the Spanish arrived.

There isn't much left from the periods before Moche II. If there was, it was probably destroyed by the later Moche civilizations. This means that the Moche phases II–V are the ones we know the most about.

Who studied Pampa Grande?

Many experts and students worked together to dig at Pampa Grande. This work was part of the Royal Ontario Museum Project, starting in 1973 and continuing until 1975.

Several people helped with the digging and understanding of the site. These included Dr. Kent C. Day, Izumi Shimada, Melody Shimada, and many others.

Later, in 2004, Llana Johnson also worked at the site for her studies at UCLA.

What was Pampa Grande like during the Late Moche period?

During the late Moche V period, Pampa Grande became one of the biggest Moche sites. It covered an area of more than 400 hectares (about 1,000 acres).

Around 600 AD, many new buildings were quickly constructed. This included a huge area for ceremonies. At the center of this area was Huaca Grande, also known as Huaca Fortaleza. This was the tallest ceremonial platform in Peru.

How did people live and work at Pampa Grande?

Farming and food

The small villages around Pampa Grande were likely farming villages. They grew food for themselves and for the Moche leaders. Clever irrigation systems brought water from nearby rivers to the valley floors. This helped the farmers grow a lot more food.

Huaca Grande, the large pyramid, was built using adobe bricks. It grew bigger as the leaders of Pampa Grande gained more power and wealth.

We know what plants they grew from tiny remains found at the site. Farmers grew plants like beans, corn, squash, sweet potatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, gourds, algarrobo (carob trees), and cotton. Storage areas also showed pollen from ferns and other plants. These might have been used for medicine or as animal food. They also found wild plants that could have been used for fuel, building, or herbs.

Many stone tools were found. Stone axes were used for tilling the soil and harvesting crops. Large grinding stones called batáns and smaller hand-held stones called manos were found in almost every home. People also found small amounts of copper, used for things like fishing net weights, needles, and fishhooks.

Hunting and animals

There isn't much proof of hunting at Pampa Grande itself. Most of the 1,200 animal bones found were from animals that were raised by people. The tools found were mostly for farming, except for some tools used for butchering meat. However, people at nearby sites did hunt sea lions, deer, and snails. Besides bones from farm animals, they also found seashells and guinea pig droppings.

The animal remains included sea animals like shellfish, fish, and sea lions. Land animals found were dogs, guinea pigs, iguanas, llamas, alpacas, and rodents. There were many sea creatures, lots of llama and alpaca remains, and some small land mammals.

Trading goods

In the Late Moche Period, households became less independent. They started to rely on leaders and skilled workers. As farming grew and more people lived in cities, trading valuable goods and land became more important. This led to people becoming specialists in certain crafts.

Special items like pottery, figurines, beads, ornaments, and spindle whorls were traded among the city dwellers at Pampa Grande.

Special foods like white-tailed deer, sea lion, coca leaves, chili peppers, and many types of fruits were rarely found in regular homes. But they appeared in the homes of the leaders. This suggests that powerful people had better access to trade. However, there seemed to be a steady supply of shellfish from the nearby Pacific Ocean for everyone. High-quality colorful pots from the Wari Empire (a civilization in the Central Andes mountains) have also been found.

Specialized work

People became specialists at Pampa Grande for two main reasons. First, farming around Pampa Grande grew, but there were also times of drought. This meant many people in the valley didn't have enough water for farming. So, a large number of people gathered at Pampa Grande to find specialized jobs that weren't farming.

Second, making things in a very standard way is a good sign of specialization. It shows that makers cared about making things efficiently and uniformly.

At Pampa Grande, there were many workshops supported by the leaders. These workshops had very few signs of people living there. Access to them was controlled to keep the materials safe. Even though many specialists were common people, leaders also took part in making crafts. Families and households also made specialized goods, but in a less controlled way. Family groups often worked together based on their family ties and operated in their own homes. These workshops were watched less closely by local authorities, usually only when goods were expected as a tribute to the leaders.

City households would have relied on economic and social connections to get everyday household items. The making of goods and farm products seemed to be divided by gender. Women usually handled daily tasks like raising children and preparing food. Men were more involved in specialized activities like making crafts and farming.

We see that many pots were made using molds, which made them standard. This included stirrup-spout bottles, figurines, rattles, whistles, and trumpets. Many storage pots were also made without molds. However, by the later Moche phases, many more pots were made using molds.

What did the buildings and items look like?

Types of buildings

There were two main types of buildings at Pampa Grande: the large Huacas for the leaders, and the common houses and work "Units." Huacas were earth pyramids made from big adobe bricks during the Middle Moche Period. They were used for public and private ceremonies and were where the leaders lived. The tops of the Huacas were platforms overlooking public plazas. Huaca Grande is the largest of the twenty-two Huacas at Pampa Grande.

The "units" can be split into two groups. Generally, there were work units on the outer edge of the city and homes all around the site.

The city center had many homes, both for the wealthy leaders and for the common people. The homes of the wealthy were built with better materials and skill. They often had high privacy walls to show they were different.

The building materials used at Pampa Grande seemed to be what was available locally, rather than special cultural materials. Adobe bricks were simple sun-dried mud bricks and were a main part of the buildings. Square rocks were also common. For mortar (the material that holds bricks together), many methods were used. Often, dirt was used inside with clay on the outside, or mud mixed with broken pottery pieces. Walls were also built using a "core-and-veneer" style. This means a rubble (broken stone) inside layer was covered by nicely shaped stones on the outside. This style is common at Moche sites. For the homes of the leaders, large rocks would have been carried from nearby on the backs of llamas or alpacas and cut to size during construction. This method was also used for building the Huacas.

How buildings changed over time

Like in most places, the buildings at Pampa Grande changed as society grew socially, economically, and politically. During the Late Moche Period, larger city areas grew around the "necks" of some valleys. This helped them control access to water.

Earlier homes were made of several different structures with different uses. Over time, the more common home became like an apartment building, divided inside for different functions.

You can often tell someone's background, wealth, or beliefs from the decorations on their everyday items and valuable objects. However, very little proof of different ethnic groups has been found in Moche cities. Signs of social status include the size of a household, how its buildings are designed, and the items found inside. As mentioned, wealthier people had homes made with better materials and skill. This included stronger materials for higher walls and foundations, and the core-and-veneer building style. This was different from the dirt and clay mortar used by common people. The homes of leaders also had extra patios and living space compared to common homes. These extra spaces were often used for special economic and social events.

Common items found

The most common items found at Pampa Grande are ceramic (pottery) artifacts. The difference between the homes of leaders and common people can be seen in the type of pottery found, as well as the building style.

Everyday pottery makes up most of the ceramic items. These include large storage jars (called tinajas or urns), cooking pots (ollas), and other jars. There were also some finer ceramics like bowls (floreros) and stirrup-spout bottles. Other types included single-spout bottles, dippers, bowls, and plates.

Many of these ceramic items were mass-produced using molds. However, it wasn't until the population at Pampa Grande grew that mass-produced molded ceramics became popular. Everyday, mass-produced storage pottery is often linked to lower economic classes. Face-neck jars are storage pots found everywhere. This helps us know they were common for lower-class people. These jars often show a human or animal face on one side. However, a small number of face-neck jars were made without molds and had the face design stamped into the neck. These would be examples of higher quality, but still common, everyday pots. "Higher quality, more detailed pots like painted stirrup spouts and shiny black bowls" are linked to higher social status and are found less often at Pampa Grande.

Who was in charge and how was society divided?

Leaders and government

Because Pampa Grande was located at the "neck" of the river in the valley, having a strong central power was important. This helped them control the water source and protect against drought. As farming grew, it sometimes led to drought. So, the people of Pampa Grande needed new kinds of work. A new government helped set up and manage this. However, ideas about the government and leaders are general for the Moche elite, and not specific to Pampa Grande alone.

After the new system of making goods was created, the leaders managed different specialists directly or indirectly. Family groups were organized by kinship (family ties). The state also supported ancestor worship, which means people honored their ancestors.

The sources don't explain how leaders came to power.

Signs of inequality

Buildings are one way to see differences between social classes. The living quarters in the Huaca (for leaders) and the common living units show a clear and big difference in building style. This proves there were different social classes. The pyramids, like Huaca Grande, were symbols of power for the Moche. They were built quickly using methods that saved time. This was done to show immediate power and likely put poor people to work, making them obey. Inside the Huacas, there were smaller rooms that probably served as living and cooking areas for the servants of the leaders. This separation of social groups shows that the poorer people were likely forced to work or were controlled.

There's some debate about how strict the social classes were at Pampa Grande. Izumi Shimada believes there were four clear social classes: 1. The highest class: leaders, religious experts, and managers. 2. Leaders who helped get valuable materials and make valuable items. 3. Supervisors and managers of work, who could move up in society a bit. 4. The lowest and largest class: laborers who worked in fields and workshops.

Ilana Johnson, on the other hand, thinks the social boundaries were less strict. She points out that different building areas matched natural differences in the land. This makes her think people weren't so strictly separated.

There haven't been many specific reports on burials or human remains. However, we do know that most burials were inside homes or workshops. Some items found with these burials include spindle whorls (for spinning thread), copper plates and knives, many ceramic items, and sometimes gold and silver. These items showed if the person had a higher or elite status. This suggests that people were buried with things related to their job and social standing, which seemed connected.

What did people believe and how did they worship?

Gods and symbols

There are two main ways that religious art was shown on ceramic items: fine-line painting and three-dimensional shapes.

Fine-line drawing was a common style in the late Moche period. Many religious images in Moche culture show realistic animals and people. Paintings of gods are most often found on ceramic stirrup-spout bottles. The same designs, like "bird-with-bowl," "ritual runners," and "deities fighting," can be found at Pampa Grande and Galindo, which is 160 kilometers (100 miles) away.

Figures that looked like an iguana with human features and an old person called wrinkle face were important characters at the start of Phase V in the Moche period.

'Wrinkle face' was a mythical god. You can recognize him by his "wide round eyes, snarling mouth with fangs, and many wrinkles all over his face." 'Wrinkle face', carved or stamped in 3D onto face-neck jars, is often shown fighting supernatural creatures.

Nude, tied-up warriors are often shown on neck-jars. These images are probably not mythical creatures. Instead, they likely show ritual scenes with warriors.

Historical records suggest that men were involved in specialized activities, while women raised children and handled household duties. So, it's likely that men performed any ritual duties. However, there's no specific historical proof about the mythical or ritual parts of Pampa Grande society.

At some point, most of the traditional Moche religious symbols stopped being shown. The realistic animal and human pictures, often found on everyday pottery, were replaced with geometric patterns. These new designs might have been simpler versions of the earlier, more detailed Moche art.

The "Temple of the Stairway and Wave" is a geometric pattern that is thought to have symbolized the place where rituals happened.

There is no proof of any writing system from Pampa Grande.

Religious ceremonies

Huacas were like palaces or temples. They were used for public and private rituals and were home to the leaders. The tops of the Huacas were platforms above public plazas. Huaca Fortaleza (Huaca Grande) is the tallest human-made earth structure in South America. It has many murals, just like earlier Moche ceremonial pyramids. Some murals were on the lower, outer parts, visible from public areas. Others were on upper terraces. This suggests that the Huacas at Pampa Grande were used for public ceremonies.

The murals on the first terrace showed a repeating red and orange reptile, like an iguana. There's also proof of many valuable goods and foods in the large rooms of the Huaca. This suggests it was where the ruling leaders lived. Amulets and small statues (votives) have been found. These are believed to have been used in shamanistic practices in homes. There were also patios in homes. These were likely used for family events and rituals, like home worship.

No altars have been found on the huacas at Pampa Grande, unlike other Moche sites where sacrifices took place.

Leaders in religious life

The only priest figures mentioned are the Bird priest and the Priestess. These are important Moche symbols, but they haven't been found at Pampa Grande. Shamanistic traditions used figurines to cure illness, help with pregnancy and fertility, and to mark important life events. The social standing of these shamans is not discussed in the sources.

The evidence for ancestor worship in homes suggests that the leaders also took part in it. This means their ancestors were probably wealthy, and their fortune was passed down in the family. This likely gave them the most influence in the development of the state.

What happened when people died?

Burial customs

There hasn't been much specific information reported about burials or human remains. However, we do know that most burials were found inside buildings (homes) or inside workshops. Some items found with these burials include spindle whorls, copper plates and knives, many ceramic items, and sometimes gold and silver. These items showed if the person had a higher or elite status. This suggests that people were buried with things related to their job and social standing, which seemed connected. Other than possible looting, the few burials mentioned seemed to have been left undisturbed by the people of Pampa Grande.

From the few burial items, we can see that women were buried with things related to their work, which was often domestic. We mainly see spindle whorls and threading weights in female burials. In male burials, there are usually copper metal items, along with ceramics. There is one case of a burial in a communal plaza, located inside a group of homes. This suggests family ties among the complex. It also supports the idea that Pampa Grande residents practiced ancestor worship, because the burial was in a ritualistic plaza.

It's more likely to find signs of outside influence in the burials of the leaders. As Shimada explains, leaders would have had more contact with people from outside. So, they would be more likely to include outside art in their burial goods. Also, leaders were usually buried with more valuable items than common people. It seems there were no wars or battles at Pampa Grande, so there's no information on how enemies or foreigners were treated differently from local residents.

Causes of death

A pottery workshop was found where two potters (who likely worked there) were buried with many valuable items. These potters were probably highly skilled and important members of society. Both suffered from "professional traumas." This means they had rheumatism in their hands and arthritis in their backbone, hands, and knees. These conditions match activities related to making pottery for a long time. This is the only case from the excavated parts of the site that shows proof of disease or injury.

Art and symbols

Symbolic designs

There are a few repeating designs that appear at Pampa Grande. The most common ones are the "bird with a bowl" or bird priest, waves, "wrinkle face," and iguana figures. The bird priest is common on Moche ceramics, but rarely found at Pampa Grande. However, it's such a common Moche figure that it's important to think about when studying Pampa Grande. This figure is part bird and part human. It would have been part of sacrifices or other ceremonies. It's often shown fighting other gods. However, its exact meaning is still debated.

Waves are often found at Pampa Grande, mostly on ceramics. The waves have two different meanings. Often, waves appear with right triangles or "stairs." These geometric shapes might have been simpler versions of earlier, more complex designs. One way this geometric design has been understood is that it symbolizes marine life and its importance. Expert Ilana Johnson explains one way the waves can be seen: they "could have been a shorter version of the stylized catfish or double-headed serpent design found on murals at Huaca de la Luna and Huaca El Brujo [other Moche sites]." The second way these wave designs are understood is as the Temple of the Stairway and Wave. This is said to have been a ceremonial place where rituals took place. The wave design is often found in several places on one piece of pottery.

"Wrinkle face" was likely a god or an important religious/political figure at Pampa Grande. He is often painted (fine-line style) onto pottery. The pottery usually shows Wrinkle face as a snarling, wrinkled face with large, round eyes. Like the bird priest, Wrinkle face is often shown battling other mythical gods or in a burial scene.

Murals on the first terrace of Huaca Grande featured a repeating red and orange reptile, like an iguana. The iguana figures were most commonly found in Huaca Grande. It's likely that iguanas were eaten at Pampa Grande because they are a luxury dish in Peru today. It's possible that the iguanas were also represented by Wrinkle face, but this is not certain. Their purpose in the terraces of Huaca Grande and their symbolic meaning are unclear.

What happened to Pampa Grande?

Why was Pampa Grande abandoned?

Pampa Grande was abandoned not long after 700 AD. Experts don't debate if it was abandoned, but rather why and how. They discuss different theories and the evidence for them.

Three main theories exist about why Pampa Grande was abandoned. However, Shimada explains that these theories have problems because the "available information for this difficult time period is mostly unclear because it's incomplete."

Still, each theory has some evidence to support it.

1. A flood: One idea is that a flood, possibly from unusual rains followed by El Niño, caused the abandonment. Digs have found "thick and even layers of water-carried sand and silt" on floor surfaces. It's suggested that these layers are from a single large flood. Also, this silt covers everything that was thought to be on the floor when the site was abandoned. However, Shimada warns that it's hard to know the exact date of the flood. Also, the layers could be from many floods, not just one. 2. Outside invasion: Another theory, though weaker, is that an invasion by the Huari Empire led to Pampa Grande being abandoned. Some Huari-style objects have been found at Pampa Grande. Also, almost all homes had large amounts of burned wood. This suggests that these places were burned as part of a Huari invasion. However, this idea is less believable because Huari-style items are found only in isolated spots. This evidence is not "enough proof" of a Huari invasion. 3. Internal problems: The third theory is that problems within the society made it weak and open to other events. Pampa Grande was built so quickly. The government and system were never truly stable, which led to changes in how Pampa Grande was run. This made the economy weak and open to unrest and other problems.

There's proof of an economy where goods were shared, made possible by tributes (payments) made to the leaders. With such a system, if a big environmental problem happened, along with a growing population, tributes would only work up to a certain point. This is one way Shimada suggests that a revolt by the people could have caused the abandonment.

Buildings damaged by fire

The theory of a revolt is the most widely accepted. The violent end is supported by the widespread and intense burning of homes and other buildings, as mentioned in the Huari invasion theory. There's also a lot of burned corn and beans in storage areas. The burned roofs lying directly on burned floors might mean that the fire and abandonment happened around the same time.

One piece of evidence that doesn't quite fit this theory is that many adobe units show no signs of fire damage. Also, the burned adobe structures don't necessarily show signs of being intentionally destroyed. Many of the items found are still in one piece.

After Pampa Grande was abandoned

There's proof of Huari and/or Tiahuanaco people living at the site shortly after it was abandoned. However, we don't know how much they occupied the site at that time.

The Chimu culture appeared in the surrounding areas a significant amount of time after the Huari.

The Inca clearly had a presence at Pampa Grande from 1476 to the early 1500s. However, there is little pottery or other items left from their time until the Spanish arrived in 1532.

See also

In Spanish: Pampa Grande para niños