Hydraulic knowledge - canals and intakes - permitted irrigation and cultivation, especially of maize.

The Peruvian littoral is characterized by its vast deserts cut by rivers which come down through the highlands and whose channels permit the rise of agriculture. The coastal people were the oldest hydraulic engineers since they perfected and achieved quite sophisticated methods of irrigation, especially the Mochicas and later the Chimu. In Cuzco the two small rivers which cross through the city were canalized, their channels lined with stones and foot bridges established. An example of highland technology is Cumbemayo, in Cajamarca, a canal cut into rock.

The importance of the hydraulic works is shown by the numerous myths that recounted the origins of those works.