﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  CULTURE 
  OF 
  N. 
  COAST 
  OF 
  PERU 
  — 
  LARCO 
  HOYLE 
  163 
  

  

  content 
  of 
  about 
  785,000 
  cu. 
  m. 
  of 
  earth, 
  and 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  

   two 
  million 
  metric 
  tons. 
  This 
  Mochica 
  aqueduct 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  master 
  

   engineering 
  works 
  of 
  ancient 
  Peru. 
  

  

  The 
  Mochicas 
  employed 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  straight 
  furrows 
  and 
  small 
  

   leveled 
  plots 
  with 
  retaining 
  earth 
  banks 
  for 
  irrigating 
  crops 
  on 
  the 
  flat 
  

   lands, 
  and 
  curvilinear 
  furrows 
  for 
  irrigating 
  sloping 
  terrain. 
  For 
  

   fertilizer 
  they 
  used 
  bird 
  guano 
  from 
  the 
  islands. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  plants 
  cultivated 
  were 
  maize, 
  beans, 
  peanuts, 
  pota- 
  

   toes, 
  yuca 
  (manioc), 
  sweet 
  potatoes, 
  ulluco, 
  aji, 
  maize, 
  pumpkins, 
  

   gourds, 
  chirimoyas, 
  custard 
  apples, 
  pacae, 
  granadillas, 
  lucumas, 
  

   pepinos, 
  coca, 
  and 
  cotton. 
  In 
  addition, 
  other 
  plants 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  

   medicial 
  purposes, 
  including 
  varieties 
  of 
  cactus, 
  habillas, 
  ashango, 
  

   maicheles, 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  curative 
  herbs. 
  

  

  Hunting.— 
  The 
  Mochicas 
  hunted 
  to 
  obtain 
  meats 
  to 
  supplement 
  the 
  

   plant 
  foods. 
  Nets 
  and 
  the 
  est61ica 
  (spear 
  thrower) 
  and 
  dart 
  were 
  

   used 
  to 
  kill 
  deer; 
  the 
  blowgun 
  and 
  spear 
  thrower 
  for 
  birds, 
  such 
  as 
  

   doves 
  and 
  wild 
  ducks; 
  and 
  maces 
  or 
  clubs 
  for 
  sea 
  lions. 
  The 
  domesti- 
  

   cated 
  llama 
  and 
  guinea 
  pig 
  were 
  eaten. 
  The 
  Mochicas 
  gathered 
  land 
  

   snails 
  and 
  hunted 
  iguanas 
  as 
  additional 
  foods. 
  

  

  Fishing. 
  — 
  The 
  Mochicas 
  fished 
  in 
  the 
  ocean 
  from 
  large 
  balsas, 
  much 
  

   like 
  those 
  now 
  seen 
  on 
  Lake 
  Titicaca. 
  They 
  also 
  had 
  smaller 
  balsas 
  

   similar 
  to 
  the 
  small 
  totora 
  balsas, 
  or 
  "caballitos," 
  still 
  used 
  today 
  by 
  

   the 
  native 
  fishermen 
  of 
  the 
  Coast. 
  The 
  construction 
  of 
  these 
  little 
  

   craft 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  remained 
  unmodified 
  through 
  many 
  centuries. 
  

   The 
  principal 
  fishing 
  equipment 
  included 
  nets 
  with 
  gourd 
  floats, 
  un- 
  

   barbed 
  fishhooks 
  of 
  many 
  sizes, 
  and 
  wooden 
  harpoons 
  used 
  for 
  large 
  

   fish. 
  Pottery 
  representations 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  Mochicas 
  caught 
  

   fish 
  ranging 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  the 
  shark 
  to 
  the 
  anchovy. 
  From 
  along 
  the 
  

   rocky 
  beaches, 
  they 
  collected 
  shellfish, 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  

   either 
  since 
  disappeared 
  locally 
  or 
  were 
  brought 
  in 
  from 
  farther 
  north 
  

   in 
  Mochica 
  times. 
  Spondylus 
  pictorum 
  and 
  Strombus 
  galeatus 
  are 
  

   examples 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  

  

  Food 
  preparation.- 
  — 
  The 
  Mochicas 
  prepared 
  various 
  dishes 
  of 
  meats 
  

   mixed 
  with 
  vegetable 
  foods. 
  In 
  a 
  container 
  consisting 
  of 
  two 
  gourds 
  

   fastened 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  cord 
  they 
  placed 
  doves 
  or 
  guinea 
  pigs 
  over 
  

   maize. 
  They 
  cooked 
  guinea 
  pigs 
  on 
  small 
  spits 
  over 
  hot 
  coals. 
  They 
  

   ate 
  from 
  gourd, 
  pottery, 
  and 
  silver 
  food 
  containers 
  with 
  sticks 
  sharp- 
  

   ened 
  at 
  both 
  ends 
  or 
  with 
  pottery 
  spoons. 
  Large, 
  bell-shaped 
  vessels 
  

   were 
  receptacles 
  for 
  kitchen 
  refuse. 
  

  

  Chicha 
  was 
  a 
  fermented 
  maize 
  drink 
  and 
  was 
  served 
  in 
  gourd, 
  

   pottery, 
  or 
  silver 
  containers. 
  

  

  Domestication 
  of 
  animals. 
  — 
  The 
  llama 
  and 
  the 
  dog 
  were 
  the 
  

   principal 
  domesticated 
  animals. 
  In 
  addition, 
  tbe 
  Mochicas 
  captured 
  

   young 
  deer, 
  pumas, 
  monkeys, 
  and 
  parrots 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  have 
  them 
  as 
  

   household 
  pets. 
  

  

  