The Recuay culture was a
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...
culture of highland
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
that flourished from 200 BCE to 600 CE and was related to the
Moche culture
The Moche civilization (; alternatively, the Mochica culture or the Early, Pre- or Proto-Chimú) flourished in northern Peru with its capital near present-day Moche, Trujillo, Peru from about 100 to 700 AD during the Regional Development Epoch ...
of the north coast. It is named after the
Recuay District, in the
Recuay Province
The Recuay Province is one of twenty provinces of the Ancash Region in Peru. Its seat is the town of Recuay.
Geography
The southern parts of the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Negra traverse the province. Some of the highest peaks of th ...
, in the
Ancash Region of
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
.
Territory
This culture developed in the
Callejón de Huaylas
The Santa Valley (Quechua ''Sancta'') is an inter-andean valley in the Ancash Region in the north-central highlands of Peru. Due to its location between two mountain ranges, it is known as Callejón de Huaylas, the Alley of Huaylas, whereas "Huayla ...
valley, and its artistic style is also known as "Huaylas."
The Recuay area is very close to the area of the earlier
Chavín culture. The important site of the latter,
Chavin de Huantar
Chavin may refer to:
Places
* Chavín de Huantar, an archaeological site in Peru built by the Chavín culture
* Chavín District, Chincha, Peru
* Chavín de Huantar District, Huari, Peru
* Chavín de Pariarca District, Huamalies, Peru
* Chavin ...
, lies just to the west. Recuay people came to occupy much of the territory of the Chavín and were influenced by them. Chavín influences are seen in architecture (for instance, in the use of underground galleries) and in stonework, such as in sculpture and
steles. The Recuay ceramics were also influenced by the Moche culture.
While the Peruvian coastal cultures of that time, such as the Moche, the Lima, and the Nasca, are much better known, the high sierra also saw the emergence of powerful cultural polities. These were the
Cajamarca
Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Peru ...
in the north, the
Huarpa in central highlands, and the
Pucará in the Titicaca highlands.
The relationship between the Recuay and the Moche state in the north must have been rather tense because they shared borders and competed for the same water sources. There is evidence of considerable warfare, and of the warrior-oriented society as reflected in their fortified buildings and iconography. In fact, the Recuay are associated with the earliest emergence of fortified centres and towns in the Peruvian Andes.
Recuay peoples built rectangular-shaped tombs with multiple rooms and levels.
The culture especially flourished in the Callejón de Huaylas region, and along the
Marañón River
, name_etymology =
, image = Maranon.jpg
, image_size = 270
, image_caption = Valley of the Marañón between Chachapoyas ( Leimebamba) and Celendín
, map = Maranonrivermap.png
, map_size ...
. It also spread to the valleys of the Santa, Casma and Huarmey rivers. To the north, it reached the area of Pashash, in
Pallasca
The Pallasca Province (from Quechua Pallasqa) is one of 20 provinces of the Ancash Region in Peru.
Geography
One of the highest peaks of the province is Utkhu Qucha at approximately . Other mountains are listed below:http://escale.minedu.gob.pe ...
.
Willkawayin was one of their important settlements.
Ceramics
Recuay culture features a distinctive pottery with decoration in three colors: black, red, and white. Recuay potters sculptured small figures of humans, jaguars, llamas, and other animals, which they attached to the vessel. Their pottery is related to
Virú cultural pottery (also known as Gallinazo). The
Viru Valley lies just north of the Recuay area.
Like the Cajamarca, Recuay ceramics used
kaolin
Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...
clay, which involved highly complex work; the ceramics acquired a white color after firing. One of the central figures in Recuay art is the so-called "moon animal," a foxlike or feline animal with a long, toothy snout and head crest.
Other art forms
Recuay textiles were of very high quality, and used similar decorative motifs as the ceramics.
Recuay stone carvings called ''Aija'' are found throughout the Peruvian Highlands. They are related to those of the
Pucará and
Tiwanaku
Tiwanaku ( es, Tiahuanaco or ) is a Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia near Lake Titicaca, about 70 kilometers from La Paz, and it is one of the largest sites in South America. Surface remains currently cover around 4 square kilo ...
cultures.
Pashash culture
Pashash culture (500 – 1000 CE) is seen as a later development of Recuay culture. It developed in the northern Sierra de Ancash (Cabana) region. Its remains are found in
Chacas
San Martín de Chacas is a Peruvian town, capital of the eponymous district and the Asunción Province, located in the east-central region of Ancash. It has an urban population of 2,082 located at 3,359 meters; and a district of 5,334 people. , a town located in the east-central region of
Ancash
Ancash ( qu, Anqash; es, Áncash ) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital i ...
, in
Cabana, Peru
Cabana is a city in Peru. It is the capital of both the Cabana District and the Province of Pallasca in the Ancash Region of northern Peru. Cabana was founded on January 2, 1857, although human habitation there likely predates arrival of the S ...
, also in Ancash, and in other places.
Metallurgy was also advanced at this time. At Pashash, very fine Recuay style jewelry of gilt arsenic bronze were excavated, as well as fine pottery; the dates are between AD 300 and 600.
[Terence Grieder]
''The Art and Archaeology of Pashash''.
University of Texas Press, 2014
See also
*
Yaynu
*
Aija, Peru
Aija is a town in central Peru, capital of the province Aija in the region Ancash, on the west side of the Cordillera Negra.
The famous scientist Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo was born here.
In ancient times, the city was one of the centres of R ...
Notes
References
*Parts of this article are based on Spanish Wikipedia
*Lau, George F., ''Andean expressions: art and archaeology of the Recuay culture.'' Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2011
*{{Cite journal , doi = 10.1179/jfa.2004.29.1-2.177, title = The Recuay Culture of Peru's North-Central Highlands: A Reappraisal of Chronology and Its Implications, journal = Journal of Field Archaeology, volume = 29, issue = 1–2, pages = 177–202, year = 2004, last1 = Lau , first1 = G. F.
Andean civilizations
Pre-Columbian cultures
History of Peru
Archaeology of Peru
Archaeological sites in Ancash Region
Archaeological sites in Peru