EARLY INTERMEDIATE PERIOD
500 B.C.-A.D. 600

fter the decline of the Chavin culture, two civilizations emerged in Peru, the Moche and Nazca. Both created beautifully decorated ceramics, brilliantly colored textiles, and magnificent metal works. They established kingdoms by uniting smaller fiefdoms under a central rule.

  The Moche established the first kingdom in the northern Andes in the northern coastal valleys. They built sophisticated irrigation systems and developed an extensive trade network by land and by sea. Weaponry, warriors, and combat are common motifs in Moche art, but so are plants, animals, supernatural beings, and men and women engaged in a wide range of activities. Some vessels were made as portraits of specific individuals.