The Archaeology and Pottery of Nazca, Peru

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Archaeology and Pottery of Nazca, Peru 3 _ ML The Archaeology and Pottery of Nazca, Peru ALFRED L. KROEBER'S 1926 EXPEDITION Alfred L. Kroeber and Donald Collier EDITED BY Patrick H. Carmichael with an Afterword by Katharina J. Schreiber ALTAM1RA PRESS A DIVISION OF SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC. Walnut Creek • London • New Delhi Published in cooperation with The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITOR'S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 8 Soisongo 61 Soisongo A 62 LIST OF TABLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS 9 Soisongo B 62 ABOUT THE AUTHORS 14 Soisongo C 63 PREFACE, Patrick H. Carmichael (1993) 17 Soisongo D and E 66 Editorial Comment 17 Aja 66 Volume Organization 18 Aja B 66 Historical Overview 18 Aja A 67 Site Locations 19 Curvi 68 Field Methodology 19 Cantayo 68 Graves and "Graves" 19 Lower Cantayo Site L 68 Aging and Sexing of Skeletal Remains 19 Lower Cantayo Site M 68 Architecture 20 Upper Cantayo Sections E and D 70 Nasca Lines and Filtration Galleries 20 Upper Cantayo Sections Ca and Cb 70 The Nasca Potter)' Sequence 20 Upper Cantayo Structure Cax 71 Editorial Introduction to the Ceramic Descriptions: Cahuachi 73 Methods and Abbreviations 21 Cahuachi Location A 78 Subsequent Research on this Collection 22 Cahuachi Locations B, C, and D 81 Analysis of Human Hair Artifacts 22 Cahuachi Location E 81 Stable Isotope Analysis and Nasca Diet 22 Cahuachi Location G 81 Proper Use of this Volume as a Research Guide .... 23 Cahuachi Locations I, J, K, and L 81 References 23 Cahuachi Location O 82 Terracing at Cahuachi 82 INTRODUCTION, Alfred L. Kroeber (i960) 25 La Estaqueria '. 82 CHAPTER 1: Histo?y and Itinerary of the Expedition ... 29 Taruga 82 CHAPTER 2: Area and Sites 35 Las Trancas 83 Poroma 83 CHAPTER 3: Excavations 39 CHAPTER 4: Adobe Bricks and Wall Construction 85 La Chimba [Santa Cruz] and Huayuri 39 Adobes at Ocongalla 85 Tierras Blancas, Aja, and Nazca Rivers 39 La Calera 39 Adobes at Majoro Chico A 85 Ocongalla Zero 41 Adobes at Soisongo A and C 89 Majoro Chico 43 Adobes at Aja A 90 Majoro Chico Site B 43 Adobes at Cantayo Cax 91 Majoro Chico Site A 44 Adobes at Cahuachi 92 Structure of Low Adobe Walls 44 Summary 92 Majoro A Houses 46 CHAPTER 5: Succession of Phases in Nazta Culture 93 Majoro A Graves 47 Method of Presentation 93 Majoro Chico Site E 52 Nazca A and B Shape Summary 95 La Huayrona 52 CHAPTER 6: Pottery of Phase Ai 97 Paredones 53 Cahuachi A: Phase A1 97 Agua Santa 53 Interior-Painted Plates of Shape Ac 97 Ocongalla West 55 Outside-Painted Bowls of Shapes B, E, and F .... 99 Ocongalla West A 56 Double-Spout Jars, Shapes Ui and Z 105 Ocongalla West B 58 Figure Vases, Shape A' 107 Pueblo Viejo 60 Three-Handled Jars, Shape TTT 108 Unslipped Utility Vessels 109 OfPhase,42 or Bi (?) 147 Pan's Pipes 109 Ocongalla West A, Grave 6 147 Aja B: Phased/ no Cantayo D, Grave 5 148 Center-Painted Plates of Shape Ac 111 Cantayo M, Grave 1 149 Plate with Painted Interior and Exterior, Discussion of Phase A2 150 Shape A 112 CHAPTER 8: Pottety of Phase Bi 151 Hemispherical Bowl, Shape GG 112 Nazca B and Its Phases 151 Outside-Painted Bowls of Shapes Ba-c and Ea... 112 Criteria for Phases Bi and B2 151 Low Bowls, B Type 113 Graves of Phase Bi 152 Medium-Height Bowls, E Type 115 Ocongalla West B, Grave 3 152 High Bowl, FType 116 Ocongalla West B, Grave 4 155 Double-Spout Jars, Shape U 116 Majoro Chico A, Grave 16 157 Head Jar, Shape Y4 118 Gifts from Cantayo 160 Three-Handled Large Jar, Class TTT 118 Summary of Bi Graves 161 Unslipped Utility Vessels 119 Aja Graves Excavated by Tello 120 CHAPTER 9: Potteiy of Phase Bi 163 Aja B, Grave 2 120 Graves of Phase Bi 163 Aja B, Grave 4 121 Ocongalla West B, Grave 7 163 Majoro Chico A: Phased/ 122 Ocongalla West B, Grave 8 166 Majoro A, Grave 18 122 Ocongalla West B, Grave 9 166 Inside-Painted Plates, Shape Ac 122 Ocongalla West B, Grave 10 171 Bowl Painted Inside and Outside 123 Figure-and-Spout 171 Outside-Painted Bowls of Shapes Shape-P Bulbous-Concave Vases 172 Ba-c and Ea 123 Shape-A/Tapering Vases 174 Double-Spout, Shape Ui 125 Shape-A^ Double-Convex Goblets 176 Human-Figure Jars, Shape A" 125 Shape-D Bowl 178 Small-Mouthed Jar 125 Shape-F-H Bowls 178 Majoro A, Grave 20 126 Ocongalla West B, Grave 12 179 Majoro A, Grave 14C 127 Double-Spouts 179 Frequencies oiAi Vessel Shapes at Wide-Mouthed Spherical Jar, Shape R 181 Three Larger Sites 128 Shape-P, Bulbous-Convex Vase 181 Other Ai Sites and Graves 128 Waisted Goblet 183 Ocongalla West A, Graves 4 and 5 128 High Flaring Bowls, Shape H 184 Soisongo B, Grave 11 131 Shape-D Bowls 186 Textiles from Soisongo B, Grave n 132 Plates Ar, Inside-Painted on Rim Only 187 Soisongo C, Grave 10 133 LIndecorated Spheroid Jars 188 Cantayo D, Grave 6 134 Ocongalla Zero 189 Cahuachi O 134 Grave 1 189 Nazca Ai Objects without Sure Associations 135 Grave 2 190 Cantayo D or E, Surface 135 Grave 3 190 Cantayo M, Surface and Trial Pits 136 Grave 4 193 Unknown Grave, Paredones(?) 136 Grave 6 193 Purchased at Yapana 137 Summary ... }. 194 Agua Santa, Nazca B Section 194 CHAPTER 7: Pottery of Phase Az 139 Grave 10 194 Majoro Chico A, Grave 17 139 Grave 11 196 Alajoro Chico A, Grave 15 143 Grave 12 : 196 Uncertain Ai Material 144 Grave 14 197 Cantayo M, Grave 4 144 Grave 15 198 Cantayo Cax Deity Bowl 144 Soisongo C, Grave 5 201 Agua Santa, Grave 16 145 Cantayo M, Grave 2 203 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Nazca Bi from Tunga 204 APPENDIX: Mineral, Plant, and Tunga: Period Not Certain 206 Animal Identifications 259 Nazca Bi from Taruga 207 LITERATURE CITED 260 CHAPTER 10: Nazca Y Phase 209 AFTERWORD: Nasca Research Since 1916 The Nazca YStyle: Generalities 209 Phase FVessel Shapes and Designs 209 Katharina J. Schreiber (1998) 261 Nazca FMaterial Excavated in 1926 210 Nasca Prehistory: A Perspective from the Graves of Phase Yi 210 End of the 20th Century 262 Majoro Chico A, Grave 7A 210 Archaeological Research in Nasca since 1926 263 Majoro Chico A, Grave 7B 211 Artifacts 263 Majoro Chico A, Grave 8 212 Features 264 Bowls 213 Burial Patterns 264 Human-Figure Jar 214 Geoglyphs 264 Rim-Painted Plate 215 Puquios 264 Angled Goblet 215 Site Excavations 265 Collared Bowl with Nazca A Resemblances .. 216 Cahuachi : 265 Ocongalla West B, Grave 1 217 Estaqueria 265 Ocongalla West B, Grave n 219 Agua Santa 265 Soisongo A, Grave 2 222 Taruga Valley Sites 265 Soisongo C, Grave 1 223 Las Trancas Cemeteries 266 Soisongo C, Grave 2 225 Huaca del Loro 266 Soisongo C, Grave 3 226 Pacheco 266 Soisongo C, Grave 13 227 Regional Surveys 266 Purchased at Paredones in 1925 228 William Duncan Strong, 1952-1953 266 David Robinson, 1954 266 CHAPTER 11: Later Phase Yi 229 UCSB Surveys, 1986-1996 266 Graves of Phase Yi 229 Surveys Elsewhere in the Nasca Region 266 Soisongo B, Grave 9 229 Locating Kroeber's Sites 267 Majoro Chico A, Grave 5 230 Ocongalla 268 Majoro Chico E, Grave 1 232 Majoro Chico 268 La Huayrona, Grave 1 236 La Huayrona 268 Agua Santa, Grave iB 237 Paredones 268 Comparison of Phases Yi and Y2 237 Agua Santa 268 CHAPTER 12: Pre-Ai Indications: Phase Ao 239 Pueblo Viejo 268 Subsite Cantayo Cax 239 Soisongo 269 Various Ao Sherds and Fragments 244 Aja 269 Paracas Sherd 245 Curvi 269 Ocongalla West B, Grave 6: Ai or Ao 246 Cantayo 269 Cahuachi 269 CHAPTER 13: Post-Nazca Culture: Late Period 249 Sites in Taruga 269 Soisongo B, Graves 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 249 Las Trancas 269 Cantayo Ca, Grave 21 251 Poroma 269 Cantayo Ca, Grave 3 252 Final Observations :' 270 Cantayo Cb, Grave 5 253 Notes 270 La Huayrona, Grave 3 254 GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY: Nasca, Kroeber, Majoro Chico B, Grave 1 254 and Later 271 Agua Santa, Graves iA, 2, 4, 5, and 9 255 Purchased at Poroma 258 INDEXES .275 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Recommended publications
  • Inca Statehood on the Huchuy Qosqo Roads Advisor
    Silva Collins, Gabriel 2019 Anthropology Thesis Title: Making the Mountains: Inca Statehood on the Huchuy Qosqo Roads Advisor: Antonia Foias Advisor is Co-author: None of the above Second Advisor: Released: release now Authenticated User Access: No Contains Copyrighted Material: No MAKING THE MOUNTAINS: Inca Statehood on the Huchuy Qosqo Roads by GABRIEL SILVA COLLINS Antonia Foias, Advisor A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Anthropology WILLIAMS COLLEGE Williamstown, Massachusetts May 19, 2019 Introduction Peru is famous for its Pre-Hispanic archaeological sites: places like Machu Picchu, the Nazca lines, and the city of Chan Chan. Ranging from the earliest cities in the Americas to Inca metropolises, millennia of urban human history along the Andes have left large and striking sites scattered across the country. But cities and monuments do not exist in solitude. Peru’s ancient sites are connected by a vast circulatory system of roads that connected every corner of the country, and thousands of square miles beyond its current borders. The Inca road system, or Qhapaq Ñan, is particularly famous; thousands of miles of trails linked the empire from modern- day Colombia to central Chile, crossing some of the world’s tallest mountain ranges and driest deserts. The Inca state recognized the importance of its road system, and dotted the trails with rest stops, granaries, and religious shrines. Inca roads even served directly religious purposes in pilgrimages and a system of ritual pathways that divided the empire (Ogburn 2010). This project contributes to scholarly knowledge about the Inca and Pre-Hispanic Andean civilizations by studying the roads which stitched together the Inca state.
    [Show full text]
  • Nazca Culture Azca Flourished in the Ica and Rio Grande De Nazca River Valleys of Southern Peru, Nin an Extremely Arid Coastal Zone Just West of the Andes
    Nazca Culture azca flourished in the Ica and Rio Grande de Nazca river valleys of southern Peru, Nin an extremely arid coastal zone just west of the Andes. Nazca chronology is generally broken into four main periods: 1) Proto-Nazca or Nazca 1, from the decline of Paracas culture in the second century BCE until about 0 CE; 2) Early Nazca (or Nazca 2–4), from ca. 0 CE to 450 CE; 3) A transitional Nazca 5 from 450–550 CE; and 4) Late Nazca (phases 6–7), from about 550–750 CE. Nazca 5 witnesses the beginning of environmental changes thought to be associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), cycles of warm and cold water that interrupt the cold, low-salinity Humboldt Current that flows along the Peruvian coast. A 2009 study in Latin American Antiquity suggests that the Nazca may have contributed to this environmental collapse by clearing the land of huarango trees (Prosopis pallida, a kind of mesquite) which played a crucial role in preventing erosion. While best known for their pottery and the Nazca lines (geoglyphs created in the surrounding desert), perhaps their greatest achievement was the construction of extensive puquios, or underground aqueducts channeling water from aquifers, similar in purpose and construction to the qanats of the ancient Middle East. Through the use of puquios the ancient Nazca made parts of the desert bloom; many Nazca puquios remain in use today. Some scholars long doubted that the puquios were made by the Nazca, but in 1995 chronometric dates using accelerator mass spectrometry confirmed dates in the sixth century CE and earlier.
    [Show full text]
  • Nasca Culture Integration and Complexity: a Perspective from the Site of La Tiza
    Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 35 (2014) 234–247 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Anthropological Archaeology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jaa Nasca culture integration and complexity: A perspective from the site of La Tiza Christina A. Conlee Texas State University, Department of Anthropology, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA article info abstract Article history: The Nasca culture (AD 1-650) located on the south coast of Peru has been interpreted in many ways since Received 21 January 2014 it was first investigated by Max Uhle in 1901. Scholars have described it as a middlerange society, Revision received 16 June 2014 heterarchy, simple chiefdom, confederacy, paramount chiefdom, theocracy, state, and empire. This paper explores past interpretations of Nasca and presents data from the site of La Tiza in the southern Nasca drainage. The evidence from La Tiza indicates that population was larger and settlements were more Keywords: variable than has previously been proposed for southern Nasca. In addition, there are indications of a Nasca culture greater degree of social differentiation and ritual activities not previously identified at other sites in Integration the area. This has implications for the overall integration and complexity of the Nasca culture. Complexity Inequality Ó 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Peru Early Intermediate Period 1. Introduction Silverman and Proulx, 2002; Vaughn, 2009). The last twenty years have seen a proliferation of research on the Nasca culture and there Since it was first investigated by Max Uhle in 1901, the Nasca is now a great deal of new data that can be used to better assess the culture of the Early Intermediate Period (AD 1-650) has been inter- nature of this ancient society.
    [Show full text]
  • Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas De Jumana
    WORLD HERITAGE LIST Nasca No 700 Identification Nomination The Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana Location Provinces of Nasca and Palpa, Department of Ica State Party Pero Date 1 October 1993 Justification by State Party The "Nazca Lines", as they are commonly known, are the most outstanding group of geoglyphs anywhere in the world. They are also one of the most impenetrable enigmas of archaeology by virtue of their quantity, nature, and size, as weil as their continuity. The concentration and juxtaposition of the lines, as weil as their cultural continuity, demonstrate that this was an important and long-lasting activity. History and Description His tory Intensive study of the geoglyphs and comparison with other manifestations of contemporary art forms suggests that they can be divided into three chronological phases. The fust dates from the Chavin period (500-300 BC) and is characterized by the technique of forming figures by piling stones. This was an important period for cultural developments in the Andean region, with strong influence exerted in the Ica region from the north by the Formative Middle Late Culture. The local development known as Paracas represents the second phase (400-200 BC), again strongly infhienced from the north. The town of Paracas adapted its culture skilfully to its severe geographicallocation and> achieved a high level of artistic development. The third phase, which represents the great majority of the geoglyphs, is the Nazca phase proper (200 BC-AD 500). The Nazca culture derived directly from that of Paracas. The Andean towns developed a powerful religious system which produced, along with Moche on the northem coast of Pero, an outstanding culture represented by its handicrafts (notably pottery) and textiles.
    [Show full text]
  • Lines, Dots and Spirals on Peruvian Land
    Lines, dots and spirals on Peruvian land Amelia Carolina Sparavigna Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy The most famous geoglyphs of Peru are the “Nazca Lines”. Considered as one of the mysteries of the ancient world, they have been included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in a large region between the towns of Nazca and Palpa, these lines create shapes of animals ranging in size up to 300 m. The archaeological site is under investigation with remote science technologies. Peru has several dry regions hosting unique remains of the ancient civilizations flourished in this country before the arrival of Spanish people. These remains are geoglyphs, which are huge drawings created on the ground. On the dry pampas (pampa is a Quechua word meaning "plain"), the drawings were made by removing the uppermost surface, exposing the underlying ground which has a different color. This technique produces a “negative” geoglyph. A “positive” geoglyphs is instead created by the arrangement of stones, gravel or earth. Peru has some positive geoglyphs near the Titicaca Lake, formed by earthworks used for cultivation [1]. Geoglyphs have been also found in some deforested regions of Amazonia [2]. The most famous negative geoglyphs of Peru are the “Nazca Lines”. These Lines are considered as one of the mysteries of the ancient world and many interpretations have been proposed on their function. Included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1994, the Lines are located in the Nazca Desert, a large region between the towns of Nazca and Palpa. The figures range in size up to 300 m across, such as in Fig.1, where we can see a Frigatebird having a very long beak: because of their size, they can better recognize from the air or in satellite imagery.
    [Show full text]
  • Deciphering the Nazca World: Ceramic Images from Ancient Peru
    Decipheringthe Nazca World: Ceramic Images from Ancient Peru RICHARD F. TOWNSEND, Curator, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas COASTALriver valleys and high mountain basins of Peru were the Facingpage with THE setting for a succession of cultures that formed one of the New World's PLATE1 Globular jar pic- c. 115/55 B.C. Earthenware most splendid and diverse civilizations, rivaled only by that of ancient Mexico togram, with colored slips; h. 18.57 cm. and northern Central America. Travelers who visit the archeological sites of the are offered of this ancient cultural and artistic in the (1955.2100). Photo: Kathleen region glimpses heritage CulbertAguilar, Chicago. spectacular ruins of Machu Picchu, the megalithic walls of Cuzco, and other well-known ruins of the Inca empire. Conquered in 1532 by the Spanish expedi- The datingof these vesselsis still tion of Francisco Pizarro, the Inca state encompassed a vast section of western imprecise:dates given here are ap- South America, along the great Andean mountain chain from Ecuador in the proximate.Traditionally, vessels are numbersin arch- north to the Bolivian plateau and Chile in the south. But, the empire itself was assignedphase new and still been formed the fifteenth eologicalreports, but they have been politically unstable, having only during otherwise Like the who much from the earlierHellenistic world deletedhere. Unless century. Romans, adopted all vesselsillustrated are from and older of the Mediterranean and Middle the Inca had incor- noted, kingdoms East, the Nazca culture;are in The Art and forms from a civilization of porated ideas, institutions, symbolic complex Instituteof Chicago;are of earthen- much greater age.
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeobotanical Analysis from the Lower Ica Valley, Peru Anita G
    Andean Past Volume 7 Article 11 2005 Gardens in the Desert: Archaeobotanical Analysis from the Lower Ica Valley, Peru Anita G. Cook The Catholic University of America, [email protected] Nancy Parrish U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/andean_past Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Cook, Anita G. and Parrish, Nancy (2005) "Gardens in the Desert: Archaeobotanical Analysis from the Lower Ica Valley, Peru," Andean Past: Vol. 7 , Article 11. Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/andean_past/vol7/iss1/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Andean Past by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GARDENS IN THE DESERT: ARCHAEOBOTANICAL ANALYSIS FROM THE LOWER ICA VALLEY, PERU ANITA G. COOK The Catholic University of America NANCY PARRISH U.S. Army Corps of Engineers INTRODUCTION A drought apparently affected much of the highlands in the late sixth century A.D. Can this Can the nature and type of Huari imperial climatic perturbation explain settlement pattern presence on the south coast of Peru be documented shifts on the coast and the appearance of early Huari as Lumbreras (1960) and Menzel (1964) suggested settlements in the Ica Valley? Though we have yet many years ago? These scholars considered Huari to to determine which model best fits the complex be an expansive state that grew rapidly into an empire relations between Ayacucho and Ica, we offer (A.D.
    [Show full text]
  • New Chronometric Dates for the Puquios of Nasca, Peru Author(S): Persis B
    Society for American Archaeology New Chronometric Dates for the Puquios of Nasca, Peru Author(s): Persis B. Clarkson and Ronald I. Dorn Source: Latin American Antiquity, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Mar., 1995), pp. 56-69 Published by: Society for American Archaeology Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/971600 Accessed: 15/12/2010 12:49 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=sam. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Society for American Archaeology is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Latin American Antiquity. http://www.jstor.org NEW CHRONOMETRICDATES FOR THE PUQUIOS OF NASCA, PERU PersisB.
    [Show full text]
  • “Between the Lines” Text & Photos by Bruce Hamilton, AIA
    “Between the Lines” Text & Photos by Bruce Hamilton, AIA Inca ruins, the Amazon Jungle and fascinating tribal customs are the top reasons why Peru ranks among the world’s great centers of ancient civilizations. Located in the Peruvian coastal plain some 400 km south of Lima, Peru is home to the Nazca Lines, a collection of geometrical patterns or geoglyphs etched into stone surfaces under the desert sand thousands of years ago. The geoglyphs include various geometric forms like triangles, spirals and trapezoids as well as intricately designed fauna such as a spider, The ancient inhabitants of Nazca removed the reddish stones. This way, they created furrows where stone condor, monkey and lizard. According to contrast with the lightest ground shade. our tour guide, the latter, which are technically called biomorphs, are largely grouped together and archaeologists believe they were made around 200 BC with most of the geoglyphs coming later. With some geoglyphs reaching 1,000 feet in size, the Nazca Lines were not fully discovered until the start of air travel in Peru about 90 years ago. By far the best way to capture the impact of the Nazca Lines (designated a UNESCO Heritage Site) was for our tour group to board a small propeller plane on June 24 of this The Nazcas used wooden stakes that were joined by a rope. This technique allowed them to repeat year. the process. During our flight to the Peruvian coastal plain, we were given a sheet that listed what images to look for and in what order. Once we could make out the 165-foot hummingbird, we had a better idea of how to recognize the patterns.
    [Show full text]
  • Decapitation and Rebirth: a Headless Burial from Nasca, Peru
    438 Decapitation and Rebirth south coast of Peru, but few examples have been found of decapitated bodies. A headless body from the site of La Tiza A Headless Burial from Nasca, Peru provides important new data on decapitation and its rela- tionship to ancient ideas of death and regeneration. Christina A. Conlee Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San The Nasca Culture Marcos, TX 78666, U.S.A. ([email protected]). 9 I 07 The south coast of Peru is very arid, and settlement was concentrated in the many small river valleys. The Nasca drain- age was first permanently inhabited in the Early Horizon Decapitation was a common type of ritual sacrifice in the (table 1) by settlers of the Paracas culture who migrated south ancient Andes. Images of disembodied heads and decapitation from the Ica Valley (Schreiber 1998; Silverman 1994; Van were ubiquitous in the art of the Nasca culture, and the large Gijseghem 2004). By AD 1 a new culture had developed with numbers of physical remains of trophy heads found in the a distinctive art style, settlement patterns, and ritual practices. archaeological record of the area are unprecedented. However, Known as the Nasca culture, it was concentrated in the Ica few headless bodies have been recovered in the region. A and Nasca Valleys (fig. 1). burial from the site of La Tiza is the first documented de- Most scholars agree that during Early Nasca (AD 1–450) capitated burial that dates to Middle Nasca, a time of cultural a politically complex regional polity developed (Reindel and transition.
    [Show full text]
  • Cahuachi - Nazca Cahuachi Pyramid Cahuachi, in Peru, Was a Major Ceremonial Center of the Nazca Culture
    Contact: Martin Harbaum Office: (511) 215-6000 - Ext: 2405 Cell: +51 998033553 Email: [email protected] domiruthperutravel.com peru4x4adventures.com General information based on wikipedia files All pictures Copyright © Martin Harbaum Cahuachi - Nazca Cahuachi Pyramid Cahuachi, in Peru, was a major ceremonial center of the Nazca culture. Cahuachi, in Peru, was a major ceremonial center of the Nazca culture, based from 1 CE to about 500 CE in the coastal area of the Central Andes. It overlooked some of the Nazca lines. The Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Orefici has been excavating the site for the past few decades, bringing a team every year. The site contains over 40 mounds topped with adobe structures. The huge architectural complex covers 0.6 sq. miles (1.5 km2). The American archeologist Helaine Silverman has also conducted long term, multi-stage research and written about the full context of Nazca society at Cahuachi, published in a lengthy study in 1993. Scholars once thought the site was the capital of the Nazca state but have determined that the permanent population was quite small. They believe that it was a pilgrimage center, whose population increased greatly in relation to major ceremonial events. New research has suggested that 40 of the mounds were natural hills modified to appear as artificial constructions. These events probably involved the Nazca lines and the giant sand dune of Nazca. Support for the pilgrimage theory comes from archaeological evidence of sparse population at Cahuachi. In addition, the Nazca lines portray creatures such as orca and monkeys, which were not present in the Nazca region and may have been introduced by pilgrims.
    [Show full text]
  • Satellite SAR Remote Sensing in Nasca
    Satellite SAR Remote Sensing in Nasca Francesca Cigna and Deodato Tapete F. Cigna · D. Tapete Natural Environment Research Council, British Geological Survey Keyworth, Nottingham, United Kingdom e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract In 2012, a research project initiated at the British Geological Survey used space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery to investigate the environmental changes affecting the drainage basin of Rio Grande and its tributaries, in Southern Peru. Our research has provided evidence of the effects due to natural and anthropogenic processes on the cultural landscape where the Nasca Civilization flourished centuries ago. This chapter provides an overview of the new insights brought by satellite SAR technology to the understanding of land use and changes in the fertile river valleys, condition of local water resources, and archaeological heritage. Impacts of this research are discussed in relation to the rejuvenation of the water supply system and preservation of cultural identity. 21.1 SAR in Nasca As widely described in previous chapters of this book, the catchment area of Rio Grande in Southern Peru was the home of the Nasca Civilization (Fig. 21.1), with evidence of human occupation since 2,000 BC, that was concentrated mostly along its tributaries Rio Ingenio, Rio Nazca, and Rio Taruga. After several millennia, local communities still reside and cultivate the alluvial valleys, and their subsistence depends on the available soil and water resources. A long- standing connection therefore exists between the environment and local population, and exposure to climate and natural processes needs to be accounted for in the perspective of maintaining this equilibrium.
    [Show full text]