Huari Culture

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History of Peru

By chronology Prehistoric Peru Ancient civilizations Inca Empire Spanish conquest of Peru Viceroyalty of Peru Independence wars of Peru Early modern Peru War of the Pacific Ecuadorian-Peruvian war Terrorist internal conflict By nation History of the Inca Empire History of the Viceroyalty of Peru History of the Republic of Peru By topic Constitutional history Economic history Military history Social history Maritime history

For the Province of the Ancash Region in Peru, see Huari Province

The Wari (Spanish Huari) was a Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in the Andes in the south of modern-day Peru, from about 500 to 1200 A.D. The capital city of the same name is located near the modern city of Ayacucho, Peru. This city was the center of a civilization that covered much of the highlands and coast of modern Peru. Early on, their territory expanded to include the ancient oracle center of Pachacamac, though it seems to have remained largely autonomous. Then later it expanded to include much of the territory of the earlier Moche and later Chimu cultures. The best-preserved remnants of the Huari Culture exist near the town of Quinua at the Wari Ruins. Also well-known are the Wari ruins of Pikillaqta ("Flea Town") a short distance south-east of Cuzco en route to Lake Titicaca, which date from the Wari period before the Incas rose to power in the region.

The Wari are historically important for a number of reasons. They were contemporaries of the Tiwanaku and shared similar artistic styles. Contact between the two cultures appears to have been limited to a span of 50 years in which there was sporadic fighting over a mine first occupied by the Tiwanaku. The mine straddled the border between the two cultures' spheres of influence and the Wari attempted, but failed, to secure it for themselves.

Not much is known about their government, as they did not leave behind any written records.

The Wari state established architecturally distinctive administrative centers in many of its provinces. Some 300 years after the Wari empire collapsed, the Incas became the dominant power in the Andean region.

The Wari terraced field technology was adopted by the Incas when they began a major push to improve the agricultural productivity of their lands. The Wari had a major road network set up throughout their sphere of influence, which may have become part of the Inca road system.

The native language of the Wari area in recent times has been Quechua, though the comparative and historical study of the Andean languages suggests that the language of the Wari culture may have been a form of Aymara. The Wari culture is not to be confused with the modern ethnic group and language known as Wari', with which it has no known link.

The Wari had access to many natural resources, including minerals, petroleum, fish, coffee, cotton, sugar, and wool. This is perhaps why the Wari civilization was comparatively so successful.

The Wari was a great empire and though the Inca Empire is more well-known, the Wari lasted four times as long and it may have been the reason that the Inca Empire had cultural unification. During the time of the Wari Empire, the people put an end to cultural regionalism and began cultural unification.