Mochica (Yunga)

Mochica (Yunga, Chimú) is an extinct language formerly spoken on Peru's north coast (Lambayeque, La Libertad, Piura) until around the late 19th century. It was the language of the Mochica civilization (~100-700 CE) and the later Chimú Empire (~900-1470 CE) before Inca conquest, and continued as a regional vernacular through the Spanish colonial period. Despite the iconic art and architecture of these civilizations, Mochica is documented mainly through colonial-era materials: Father Fernando de la Carrera's grammar Arte de la lengua yunga (1644) and 19th-century word lists by Middendorf. Genetic affiliation is unresolved and Mochica is generally considered a language isolate (sometimes grouped speculatively as Chimuan).