Chavin-+A+Collectivity+of+Many+Cultures

Chavin: A Collectivity of Many Cultures by Zarydeliz Pellot

Chavin de Huantar is found at an elevation of 10,330 feet. To the east is the Cordillera Negra and to the west is the Cordillera Blanca and Chavin is found near the Callegon de Conchucos. Over a period of 700 years, Chavin’s art style has changed thought out the years (Miller 29). By looking at the artistic styles, pottery and architectural features it is believed that Chavin interacted with other sites nearby due to the fact that the artifacts emulate other cultures.

One of the architectural features found at Chavin is the Old Temple which was one of the first to be constructed and was also known as the Castillo. It is about 330 feet wide and 36-52 feet tall. This temple was constructed in a way to make it very difficult for people to come in due to the fact that there were not many entrances and the Mosna River made it hard to cross over. The entrance is found on the east side in accordance to the rising sun. Upon entering the Old Temple there is a plaza and stairway and the Old Temple has a U-shaped building with sunken courts (also seen at Tiwanaku) found in the region. On the stones, found near the sunken circular courts, there are drawings of humans as well as the sun. Since the court is in the middle it is believed that it is the axis mundi also known as the center of the world (Miller 30).

Measuring at about 8 feet in depth, the sunken courts could have contained 500 people in the area. There were jaguars drawn along the walls in seven pairs. Much of the Chavin artifacts have been damaged by landslide making it difficult to determine the number of jaguar on the wall. The jaguar is a combination of an eagle and bear and it is in an upright position holding a strombus shell and a San Pedro cactus. These mystical drawings represent the hallucinogenic affects by the San Pedro cactus. These plants had hallucinogenic properties and were used by the priest for religious ceremonies and later were drawn on the walls for others to see their hallucinations (Miller 32).

Apart form the elaborate drawings, an important feature found at Chavin is the Lanzon also known as the Great Lance. It looks like a blade stuck into the ground and is believed that it was placed there in order to have a good crop though out the year and to prevent famine. The Lanzon pinpoints the center of the world for Chavin (Miller 34). It is 15 feet high and the drawings contain a figure with “round eyes with pendant irises, feline fangs and flat nose, upturned snarling mouth and claws or talon nails (Miller 34).”

A very well known archaeologist at Peru is Julio Tello who found the Tello Obelisk near the Old Temple. The Tello Obelisk is eight feet tall with drawing of a two gendered crocodilian with an array of different plant drawings. The Tello Obelisk is a representation of a fertility mythical being (Miller 35). Julio Tello also worked at the site of Chankillo.

Located in Peru in the Northern Highland Chavin de Huantar dates to the first millennium BC, when much of the archaeological data is found at this site. Richard Burger was one of the archaeologists who worked there and he argues that Chavin came about from interaction with other societies nearby (Paul 1).

At Chavin, the Old Temple is found and dates to 900BC and the New Temple dates to 500BC. The architectural features include a small chamber as well as canals for water to pass through. Many stone sculptures are found at the site, giving a look into the religious ideology of the people of Chavin (Paul 1)

The Lanzon is one of the stone sculptures and it is 4.53 meters tall. Found directly in the middle of the Old Temple this feature contains many depictions of religious ideology. The Tello Obelisk and the Black and White portal can also be seen at Chavin (Paul 1)

Anthropologist Burger, studied the drawing and found that apart from the drawing of mystical beings on the stone, anthropologist have been able to see drawings of manioc, hot peppers and jaguars. This has allowed anthropologist to get a better understanding of faunal and flora used by the people. Much of the drawings of food are not found in the region. They come from the East of the Andes. This is indicative that they must have come in contact with others people nearby. It is possible that their religious practices were not their own but copied from other cultures from whom they traded with (Paul 1-2).

A look into the subsistence patterns in Chavin provides gives an insight into the Chavin’s interaction with other cultures. The article by Miller defines charki as a “dried camelid meat by freeze drying (Miller 2)” This meat is made in the puna zone which has an elevation of 3700 meters where the temperature allows the meat to freeze. The entire animal is used in the making processes of charki. High elevation are used in order to preserve the meat and prevent it from rotting. Even though Chavin is at a lower elevation, Valdez believes that charki was made in order to use older camelids which are bitter in flavor and make them into charki which has a better appetizing taste. It is also possible that they traded charki with the people at a higher elevation. This shows that the people of Chavin were always coming in contact with other people even those living at a higher elevation. People preferred to make charki in order to preserve the meat and make it more easy to transport and maintain an adequate supply through out the year and decrease famine. Charki found at the site of Chavin is indicative that people traded with others at a higher elevation because it was not possible for the people at Chavin to have herded their camelids because the valley was to narrow. The land allowed for only agriculture like maize (Miller 4).

During the 16th century the Spanish conquered this site. Among them was Pedro Cieza, he noted that there were large stone structure in the area. In 1593, Alfonso de Mongrovejo believed that the site was once a fortress with tunnels going underground. Many other people arrived, making their own interpretation of what they saw at Chavin ( Townsend 266).

Chavin de Huantar is a Quechua term and it means “an object or place in which sacred power was immanent (Townsend 265).” Mounds and idols are a few huacas found in the region. The stone structures and many artifacts have been dated to 900/200 BC. Chavin is best known for the intricate designs on the stone walls which is also seen at Tiwanaku and many archaeologist have studied them (Townsend 266).

Different kinds of ceramics were found in the region and when compared to other sites, they show similarities with the Kotosh people. Having similarities in pottery could mean that they also have similarities in the rituals that they preformed. Chavin is a site encountered by many other groups in the area. At Chavin, some of the rooms contain burnt offering for religious practices and then the building was buried and a new one was made. Not only in Chavin but throughout the Andes, burying buildings is a common ritual and it is done because they believed in the idea of rebirth and starting a new cycle in life (Townsend 266).

An array of different artifacts are found at Chavin and they include: sunken courts, Old Temple, and Ushaped mounds. These architecture structures are not distinct to the region. Other sites along the coast dating to a millennium before the Chavin site were established containing similar features. When the New Temple was built it contained cylindric columns and this notable architect is seen in the highlands in Pacopampa. Found along the coast are clay sculptures in Cerro Sechin dating to 1200 BC well before the Chavin existence and yet found at this site. When Chavin came about similar artifact and stylistic drawing were found which resembled the site (Townsend 267). It could be that Chavin was a group of people made from a combination of the Kotosh and the coastal people. They continued the same architectural building methods and soon thrived and became the people of Chavin, a unification of cultures with the same ideology.

Even though Chavin resembled many other sites, it contained many features distinctly found in the region. The Tello Obelisk found in the plaza containing mythical creatures is on of the many artifacts found. The tenon heads can be seen on the walls of the pyramids. The stone shafts allowed these giant and heavy features to be suspended on the walls at great heights. Many Mesoamerican sites used hallucinogenic plants during religious ceremonies and many of the drawings on the Tello Obelisk, tenon heads, and Lanzon are hallucination of dreams depicted on the stone. Many of the stone used for the pyramid and other artifacts are not found in the region. The white granite and black limestone were brought from deposits a great distance away. It could be that having encountered other sites using this material they decided that it was a useful material and began quarrying limestone (Townsend 271).

Isabelle C Druc referred to Chavin as a pilgrimage center due to the fact that the artifacts are not commonly found in the region like obsidian and spondylus. She studied the ceramics and found that by looking at the ceramics it can reveal an accumulation of artistic style found in Peru. Using x-ray diffraction, the material used to produce the ceramics were not found in Chavin and the stylistic drawings resemble those found in other regions (Druc 1).

A study was developed in 1993-1997 regarding the ceramic distribution and manufacture in Chavin. The outcome of the data showed that the ceramics were made in Chavin but were replication of other ceramics. Nearly 30% of the ceramics are imitations of non local groups. Conducting many chemical analysis on the pottery has allowed archaeologist to come to the conclusion that an array of groups contributed to the ceramic production. There were many workshops making the ceramics but using clay from other regions causing many groups to come in contact with one another and trading ceramics and in this process trading ideology. Ceramic analysis has allowed archaeologist to get data from Chavin and gives evidence to demonstrate contact with neighboring groups in the region (Druc 4). There is also similarties to the Moche society in regards to their pottery.

The artistic style at Chavin resembles other art work at different regions. The PreChavin culture have many similarities when compared to Chavin. From the carvings on the Lanzon and tenon head they have feline mouths carved into them. A feline mouth “features a large mouth with corners turned up (kano 29).” The Kotosh phase also has this noticeable feature in their artwork. Some of the jaguar drawing at Chavin also have feline mouth. Also the Tenon Head resembles the Wairajirca and the Paracas. The artwork was studied by Rowe and it allowed him to get a chronology of the artwork and similarities between Chavin, Kotosh and Wairajirca. The drawing of the eyes of the figures at Chavin consist of circular and rectangle eyes. By looking at the eyes of the drawing artifacts like the Lanzon can be correlated with other sites to show a similarity in artistic styles. Futhermore, it indicates that Chavin emulates other cultures (Kano 28).

Located in Peru, the archeological site of Chavin, has given rise to many prevalent studies in the field of anthropology. Through the site at Chavin, it is clearly evident that a collectivity of varied cultures was once indeed part of a single culture. Many costal groups, specifically that of the Kotosh and Wairajirca, share common artistic styles, architectural patterns and forms in regards to their pottery, thus indicating that influences from near by societies was present. The overwhelming evidence of intermeshing cultures and shared mythological ideology is embodied perfectly at the Chavin site.

Works Cited

Miller, Rebecca Stone 1995. Art of the Andes from Chavin to Incas. Slovenia:Thames and Hudson.

Townsend, Richard. 1993. The Ancient Americas Art from Sacred Landscapes.Michigan: The Art Institute of Chicago

Paul, Anne 1993. American Association for the Advancement of society. Science AAS. Center in Peru. 260(5511): 1183.

Miller, George and Richard Burger 2000. American Antiquity. Society for Americas. Charki at Chavin. 65(3):573-576.

Druc, Isabelle 2004. Latin American Antiquity. Society for Americas. Ceramin Diversity in Chavin De Huantar. 15 (3). 344-363.

Kano, Chiaki 1979. The Origins of the Chavin culture. Washington: Dumbarton Oaks.

Image Work Cited (Google Image Search Keyword: Lanzon, Tenon Head, Tello Obelisk, Chaivn Pottery and Chavin Map) Lanzon [|www.latinamericanstudies.org/chavin/lanzon.htm] Tenon Head [|infinity.cos.edu/.../cenandes/default.html] Tello Obelisk [|infinity.cos.edu/.../cenandes/default.html] Chavin Pottery [|infinity.cos.edu/.../cenandes/default.html] Chavin Map [|www.globalheritagefund.org/where/chavin.html]