MOCHE: A PERUVIAN COASTAL COMMUNI-Ti'— GILLIN 



11 



The pueblo of Santa Lucia de Moche, near the sea and 

 separated from the city [of Trujillo] by two leagues to the 

 southeast on the Royal Road to Lima, is composed of 118 

 male Indians and 157 female Indians; with their 125 small 

 sons and 75 daughters they are dedicated to agricultural 

 work [labranza] and generally to being fishermen. The 

 church was damaged in the earthquake [of September 2, 

 1759] but is now being repaired by reason of the pious dili- 

 gence of the Indians, stimulated by their priest. The In- 

 dians of the pueblos mentioned [Moche and Santiago de 

 Guamanga] pay in royal tribute six pesos and four reales 

 per year. [Moche] does not have its own cacique; and the 

 collection of the royal tribute is entrusted to a collector 

 named by the royal officials of this city [Trujillo] to whom 

 belongs this incumbency. According to the book of distri- 

 bution, the said Indians of the two pueblos [this includes 

 Santiago de Guamanga] enjoy 206 fanegas of land, being 

 a very small assignment for their subsistence and welfare. 

 The priest of both pueblos is a religious of the royal and 

 military order of Nuestra Seiiora de las Mercedes. The 

 allowance for missionary activity [siiiodo] is 154 pesos an- 

 nually, and with obventions and other rights amounts to 

 2,000 pesos. [Feijoo, 1763 (reprint, undated, p. 36).] 



Feijoo also published two maps,^^ "Descripcion del 

 \'alle del Chimii planisferica de la ciudad de Trujillo 

 del Pertj" and "Carta topografica de la provincia de 

 Trujillo del Perii," both of which show the pueblo of 

 Moche as of 1760, in approximately its present loca- 

 tion. 



One colonial reference that has come to my notice 

 is perhaps of siuall importance ; it is found in Medina 

 and refers to the year 1650; 



The thirtieth of January, 1650 ( ? en 30 dias del vies de 

 cnero de 1650 aiios), Lorenzo Huaman, aged Indian of the 

 "aillo" of Amey, accused [delato] Francisca Beatriz, aged 

 Indian woman of the "aillo" of "Mocha", affirming under 

 oath that she is malificient, a witch, and practitioner of the 

 indigenous rites (ritos gentilicios). [Medina, 1650 (edition, 

 1920, p. 98).] 



This is the only indication I have that Moche was 

 ever an ayllu, and I believe the word is used in a gen- 

 eral sense by a reporter accustomed to think of all 

 Indian villages in this terminology. This reference 

 also provides proof, if any were needed, that brujcria 

 (witchcraft) was practiced as far back as 1650. 



In 1818. the diocesan history provides another ref- 

 erence to Moche (Monografia de la Diocesis, 1930- 

 31, vol. 3, pp. 256-258). The third volume of this 

 compilation, "El Cabildo Eclesiastico a traves de tres 

 siglos." reveals that for nearly 200 years, since 1631^" 

 to be exact, this body had been periodically exercised 



^ I have seen only the reproductions published in Apuntes y estudios 

 . . . 1935; the maps face pp. 80 and 88, respectively. 



^®Ibid., vol. 3, pp. 51-52, resiimen of the Cabildo for the year 

 1631. Repeated references to this problem occur hereafter. 



over the problem of securing a new clock and bell for 

 the towers of the cathedral. By September 4, 1818, 

 a clock had been secured, and the following year the 

 bell was obtained (ibid., vol. 3, pp. 256-257). This 

 is the only reference to Moche in the diocesan history. 



Although in 1818-19 Moche enjoyed the services 

 of a priest, the church historians have not published 

 any infonnalion concerning the people under his care. 

 Perhaps he made no reports ; if he did, it is to be 

 hoped that the church may publish them. 



Juan and L'lloa (1751, p. 368) mention Moche in 

 1751 as being located at 8°24'59" south latitude and 

 consisting of 50 "baraque" houses with 70 families, 

 composed of Spanish, Indians, and Mestizos. 



Squier (1877, ch. 8) published an amusing account 

 of his visit to Moche, in which he described certain 

 drinking customs of the people there that do not 

 sound so very ditl'erent from present usages. He also 

 provides us with the first serious mcasureinents and 

 descriptions of the ruins. 



A short sutTimary of the ancient cultural sequence 

 in this area is given, relying mainly upon Kroeber's 

 1944 publication, the latest printed statement (Kroe- 

 ber, 1944, pp. 42-80, especially pp. 78-80; also table 

 on p. 112. See also Bennett, 1937, 1939; Kroeber, 

 1925. 1926; Squier, 1877; Uhle, 1913; Larco Hoyle, 

 1938-39, 1941 ; also Horkheimer, 1944, p. II). Ac- 

 cording to this scheme, which aims to represent pres- 

 ent knowledge, the succession of cultures in the north 

 coast area may be arranged in the following column, 

 with the oldest at the bottom ; 



Chimu, Inca period. 



Chimu, pre-Inca. 



Tiahuanacoid, later. 



Tiahuanacoid, Earlier, Cajamarca associated. 



Negative or Gallinazo. 



Mochica. 



Salinar. 



Cupisnique. 



Archaic (?) no remnants found in Moche area. 



To date, no geological or other direct evidence for 

 absolute dating has come to light, with the result that 

 the chronology is based upon stratigraphy, typology, 

 and the judgment of the investigators. Kroeber is in- 

 clined to estimate the beginning of Cupisnique period 

 (Libertad equivalent of Tello's Chavin of the Coast) 

 at about A. D. 500, the beginning of the Mochica 

 period at about A. D. 700, the beginning of the 

 Tiahuanaco period at about A. D. 1(X)0 (Kroeber, 

 1944, pp. 114—115). This would give the true 

 Mochica culture a period of about 300 years, begin- 

 ning about 1,250 years ago. Others are inclined to 



