Detailed study
Middle Horizon (550 - 1000 A.D.)
Around 550-600 A.D. the political-economic structure of the regional cultures was altered by a new ideology that progressively began to replace the local traditions. The culture that brought about these profound changes originated in the valley of the upper Mantaro near its capital, Wari.
Between 600 and 700 A.D. the expansionary philosophy was still moderate and one observes a tendency to consolidate the increase of the urbanised centres such as Qonchopata and Chakipampa. This phase preceded the subsequent expansionary period and tended to reinforce the control of different eco-systems.
The Wari culture summarised the experiences matured by other highly specialised societies, and thanks to the contribution of Tiwanaku, Huarpa and Nasca, perfected a technique of mass producing craft products. The expansion over a large part of the Peruvian territory, including Nasca to the south and Cajamarca to the north started in the eighth century.
The changes were profound but not uniform: in many central and southern regions the changes assisted in bringing about the disappearance of the local traditions; to the North the reaction to the change brought about war that did not succeed in halting the conquest; other populations integrated without difficulty with the new system, partially maintaining the old traditions. The end result of this phenomenon was the rise of great cities that fulfilled the role of centres of development and control in every region and that contributed to standardising the religious and political models.
The Wari pottery, even though keeping its own characteristics, did not escape the influence of the local styles that it came into contact with. In the Ayacucho region polychromy was very widespread, a heritage of the Huarpa and Nasca, as well as the use of iconographic elements tied to the ancient deities or the zoomorphic and phytomorphic images. In the other regions the influence can be recognised by the introduction of elements extraneous to the tradition; the influence however had a relative impact on the ancient traditions.
The action of simplification and consolidation imposed by the Wari thus did not succeed in globally conditioning the ceramic art, contrary to what occurred in the field of architecture, metallurgy and weaving. The disintegration of the Wari Empire started around the end of the first millennium A.D..
The reasons are poorly documented, but our thoughts are directed to the incapacity to maintain the state apparatus in a proper form for long periods of time, climatic factors that influence the productive system and the population increase that contributes to emphasizing the social pressures and latent rebellion. The end of the Wari favours and strengthens the power of certain priestly classes including the ancient hierarchy of Pachacámac on the Central Coast.
The Lambayeque culture develops in the valley of the same name located in the northern area. The origins of this populace is found in the legend of the mythical hero Ñaymlap who came from the sea on a balsawood boat accompanied by numerous dignitaries; he settled in the area giving life to a long line of kings. In reality the term Lambayeque was used up to recent times to define a style seen in findings coming from secret diggings and conditioned by the legends of Ñaymlap coming to us from the Chroniclers.
At times the artistic expressions of this culture are confused with those of the Chimú, an error due to the strong influence that this reign had in later periods, when it had conquered the northern territories. Recent studies place the development of Lambayeque in the area of the río La Leche, considering the site of Batán Grande as the most representative centre of this culture.
The same name was encountered again as a function of the indigenous place name, Sicán, which means the "home of the moon". During the course of the Wari expansion the Lambayeque area thanks to its marginal geographical position, did not feel the effect of the standardisation in progress, except for certain innovations in the types of ceramics.
Its evolution was constant alongside that of the new regional realm that arose after the fall of the Wari Empire. In this period the goldsmith's and potter's art reached their zenith; above all in the former, a degree of technological perfection was attained copied in all the outlying regions. During the course of the Recent Intermediate Period, Sicán became subject to the rule of Chimú, who founded a dynasty of ruling vassals in the region, who were subject to the central power.
