2016 • 26' • French, English & Neutral Spanish
Director(s): AGNES MOLIA • Producer(s): Tournez S'il Vous Plait • Coproducer(s): ARTE • Format(s): HD
One of the driest deserts in the world lies at the foot of the Andes. 1,500 years ago, the Mochica culture – alternatively called the Moche –, one of the most brilliant people of South America, flourished in this hostile environment. Between the 2nd and 8th century AD, they tamed the desert, and built huge adobe pyramids called “huacas”.
Although it was the most powerful in South America in its time, little is known about this civilization, which fell into oblivion long before the Spanish conquest. For decades, most archaeologists believed that the Moche had disappeared in 600 AD, decimated by an abrupt climate change.
The recent discoveries of Peruvian archaeologist Santiago Uceda undermine this theory. According to him, the Moche actually rebelled against the theocracy that administered them, using ritual sacrifice as a political weapon. A popular revolution, which gradually led the Moche to abandon their buildings, their rites, their culture...
These discoveries finally lift the veil on one of the most enduring enigmas of contemporary archeology, namely the disappearance of the Moche.
Arkeo - Twilight of the Mochicas (Peru) won special mention at the Internationl Film Festival of Archeology 2018 "ICRONOS"
