Recuay
Recuay refers to an ancient culture that developed in the northern highlands of Peru after the decline of the Chavín civilization. Known for their unique sociocultural practices, the Recuay people thrived in areas conducive to agriculture, pastoralism, and trade. Their diet included a variety of crops such as maize and potatoes, complemented by the meat of llama and alpaca. Key centers of Recuay life included Huaraz, Tumshukayko, and Yayno, where they built defensive structures and monumental architecture indicative of regional chiefdoms. The society exhibited a mix of hierarchical and egalitarian elements, often organizing around fortified hilltops. Artistic expression is a hallmark of Recuay culture, particularly in their sophisticated pottery and monolithic stone sculptures, which often feature intricate designs and depict a range of figures, both human and animal. Recuay iconography reflects themes of social status, fertility, and warfare, providing insight into their beliefs and practices. Today, the Recuay remain an important focus of archaeological study, contributing to our understanding of pre-Columbian cultures in the Andes.
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Subject Terms
Recuay
Related civilization: Peru.
Date: c. 200 b.c.e.-600 c.e.
Locale: Callejön de Huaylas Valley of the North Central Highlands, Peru
Recuay
The Recuay were renowned for distinctive sociocultural traditions that emerged in Peru’s northern highlands following the collapse of Chavín. The Recuay populated key highland regions for the purposes of agriculture, pastoralism, and exchange. Lower-altitude crops such as maize, fruits, and coca supplemented staples from higher zones such as potatoes and grains. Camelids served as pack animals (llamas) as well as primary sources of meat (mainly alpacas), supplemented by deer and guinea pigs.
Recuay centers include Huaraz, Tumshukayko (Caraz), Yayno (Pomabamba), Aija, and Pashash (Cabana). At these sites, defensive works, monumental architecture, corporate labor projects, and wealth distinctions are consistent with the existence of regional chiefdoms. A common social arrangement at other sites entailed largely egalitarian communities based around fortified hilltops serving to organize local households, production, ceremonial activities, and defense.
Highly sophisticated Recuay pottery, found mainly in funerary contexts, is characterized by thin wares often of white kaolinite clay, with polychrome and resist painting and sculptural decoration. Each pot is hand-made; decorated shapes include bowls, jars, bottles, and effigies of humans and animals. Monolithic stone sculpture also distinguishes Recuay culture; artists rendered works in three dimensions (tenon-heads and statues) and in single-sided bas relief (vertical and horizontal slabs). Most sculptures were part of special secular and ceremonial constructions.
Recuay iconography is figurative and abstract—including geometric, zoomorphic (felines, serpents, birds, camelids, and mythical creatures), and anthropomorphic (warriors, leaders, women, and supernaturals) representations—emphasizing hierarchical status, fertility, ancestor worship, and warfare.
Bibliography
Keatinge, Richard W. Peruvian Prehistory. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
Stone-Miller, Rebecca. Art of the Andes: From Chavín to Inca. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1996.