Nazca

expand_more Description

The Nazca tradition was centered in the Río Grande de Nasca Basin and Ica Valley from 2200–1300 BP, with presence or influence along the south coast from the Cañete to Yauca valleys and into the adjacent highlands of Peru. The people were sedentary agriculturalists dependent on irrigation or wells for water and had domestic animals (llamas, alpacas, and guinea pigs). The settlement hierarchy and burial data indicate a chiefdom level of organization. Ceremonial centers may have primarily been pilgrimage destinations. The tradition is known for its ceramics with complex naturalistic or mythical polychrome designs, decorated textiles, pyro-engraved gourds, clay panpipes, and the geometric and figurative geoglyphs known as the Nazca Lines. There is evidence of warfare, with the taking of trophy heads for ritualistic purposes.

Identifier

Region

• South America

Subregion

• Central Andes

Subsistence Type

• intensive agriculturalists

Countries

• Peru