Rekuay is a pre-Columbian culture that existed in Peru in the territory of the modern Ankash region. It existed in the intermediate early era according to South American chronology in 200-600. AD and occupied almost the entire Callejón de Huaylas valley. In the east, it reached the headwaters of the Maranion River , and in the west, the highlands of the Santa River Valley.
Absorbed in the late VI - early VII century. the state of Huari .
Content
Political Organization
The form of governance of the Recuay was very archaic in origin. At its core, the Rekuay society was theocratic. The role of political leader in it was played by the high priest. He, and other high-ranking priests, "interpreted" the will of the gods, and on the basis of these "interpretations" ruled Rekuay society. At the final stage of the existence of culture, a group of soldiers and priests stood at the head of Rekuay.
Economics
The economy was based on agriculture and raising livestock (llamas), from which meat and wool were obtained.
Art
Rekuayts created ornamental architectural structures, carved monolithic monuments, bas-reliefs, sculptures from stone, on which the following motifs are represented: trophy heads, cat animals, mythical animals, etc. They also created other stone products.
For the production of ceramics, white clay ( kaolin ) was used, the processing of which is very difficult. Fabrics with complex graphic motifs were also produced - usually the same as those presented on ceramic products.
Pottery
The ceramics of the Rekuay culture is characterized by a significant variety of forms, a tendency to sculptural images, colorful drawings with geometric and figured motifs, the use of the "negative" technique using red, black and white colors. Among the images on ceramics there are cat, snakes, anthropomorphic and mythological images, as well as linear geometric figures.
Monuments
Pashash
This archaeological site is located in the vicinity of Kaban . It has a thick wall surrounding the entire settlement, apparently serving to protect it from enemies.
Vilkavain
Vilkavain (the name was given during the Inca rule) is the most important archaeological monument of the Rekuay culture. It is a whole complex of structures in the vicinity of the modern city of Uaras . The most important building is a 3-story building, whose height reaches 9 meters. Apparently, this building was part of an urban complex, the size of which is difficult to assess.
Funeral architecture
According to the researcher Duccio Bonavia, the graves of the Rekuay culture are the most complicated among all the ancient Andean cultures by the method of their manufacture. Rekuaytsy built impressive stone mausoleums - they are found in the vicinity of the cities of Mollieurco, Katayok and Pashash. Other graves had underground galleries from 7 to 20 m long, about 1 m high; one of these burials was found in Vilkavain .
The graves were individual and group. In burials, corpses are found in a bent or seated position, funeral gifts were placed around them.
Dwellings
Rekuaytsy lived in underground galleries and in fortified settlements. In the first case, the dwellings were made of stones and filled with earth - these types are represented at the Katak, Kopa and Tambo objects. In the second case, the houses had an uneven, but well-fortified foundation, which allows modern researchers to suggest the military nature of such settlements.
See also
- Dokolumbova chronology of Peru
- Ankash (region)