Nonwestern Art The fascinating Moche period was characterized by a number of developments. Ceramics, textiles and metalwork improved greatly, architectural skills allowed the construction of huge pyramids and other structures and there was enough leisure tune for art and a highly organized religion. The Moche culture, a culture that has left impressive archaeological sites and some of the most outstanding pottery to be seen in Peru's museums, is named after the river which flows into the ocean just south of Trujillo. The Moche culture is especially known for its ceramics, such as "Vessel woth the stirrup-ring spout," and the Moches handiwork is considered the most artistica