SAN JUAN BAUTISTA UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES

NURSING SCHOOL

THEME:
NAZCA CULTURE

COURSE:
ENGLISH

CICLE:
II

MEMBERS:
DAVILA VIDEIRA PAOLO
HUANCAYA QUISPE ROSALYNN
EGUSQUIZA VARGAS KARLA
LEON DOMINGUEZ KATHERINE
UMPIRI YUMBATO JOSE LUIS
TEACHER:
GORDILLO RIOS ANA ROSA

LIMA-PERU
2016

We want to dedicate this work especially to God

who has given us the life and strength to reach our
goals. To our companions and friends in helping us
in the most difficult moments and our parents for
their unconditional support.

INDIX
INTRODUCTION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK------------------------------------------------------------1. Origin and development of nazca culture --------------------------------------------1

Chronology of research on the Nazca civilization-------------------------

2. Location----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. History------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4. Economy --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4.1 Agriculture -------------------------------------------------------------------------4.2 Fishing-------------------------------------------------------------------------------4.3 Trade---------------------------------------------------------------------------------5. Social organization--------------------------------------------------------------------------5.1 Political and military organization--------------------------------------------6.- Customs---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7.- Art-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7.1 Styles--------------------------------------------------------------------------------7.2 Geoglyphs--------------------------------------------------------------------------7.3 Architecture------------------------------------------------------------------------7.4 Ceramics---------------------------------------------------------------------------7.5 Textile-------------------------------------------------------------------------------7.6 Goldsmithing-----------------------------------------------------------------------7.7 Trophy Heads----------------------------------------------------------------------8.- Beliefs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9.- Burials------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES---------------------------------------------------------ATTACHMENT-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INTRODUCTION
Nazca is an archaeological culture of Ancient Peru that emerged in the province of
Nazca (Ica department) around the 1st century and goes into decline in the 6th
century.
It had an area of influence that reached to cover Pisco by the north, to Arequipa by
the south and by the east to Ayacucho. Until the 6th century d. C., increased their
contacts with the Andean zone, reaching even to the Ayacucho highlands. This
contact was especially important in the formation of the Huari culture.
An impressive aspect of Nazca is its polychrome pottery, with figures of men,
animals, plants, etc. In many of these ceramics, mutilated men are depicted. Textile
art flourished as much as in the time of the Paracas. They had their own style of
work of the metals, although of inferior quality to the one of the time of Chavin.
Most impressive of this civilization are the Nazca traces in the Pampas of Nazca
and other sites of the south coast of Peru. The lines known as Nazca Lines are
located in a geographic area with little rainfall, which demonstrates knowledge of
geography and meteorology. As an extremely interesting fact and reinforces the
theory of meteorological knowledge of the Nazca.
About thirty kilometers from the city of Nazca is the Chauchilla Cemetery. A
necropolis in the open air in which despite the looting can still be seen mummies in
good state of conservation as well as ceramic remains.
The Nazi economy was based on agriculture and this was intensive and an
example to the posterity of how to solve the problem of eriazas land on the coast.
The scholar Antonio Raimondi on this, said: "In the underground of Nazca there is
underground water, but, being this to the depth of 4 or 5 meters, can not serve for
the irrigation of the grounds. The river usually has only running water for 40 days in
the year; So that, for more than 10 months, Nazca would lack water if it were not
for the work undertaken by the ancient Indians".The main crops of Nazca were:
maize, beans, squash, squash, cassava, peanut, chili, guava, lucuma, paca and
cotton.
The old nazquenses, constructed aqueducts to be able to have water throughout
the year; Works that on the other hand should have meant a great physical effort,
organized and technical direction of hydraulic engineers. Their shots are found in
the heights of Nazca and infiltrate the groundwater to take them to the city. The
most important aqueducts are: Ocaa, Matara, Uchulla, Tejeje, Bisambra, Aja,
Curve, Llcuas, Soisonguito, Copara and the Achirana.

ABSTRACT
Nazca culture was one of the most important in Peru. Its influence in other
civilization of that time was great because of its constructions which still, is a
mystery till today apart of other interesting aspect which are studied till now.

1.- ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF NAZCA CULTURE

It is said that the Nazca culture had its origin coming from the Paracas culture, but
it is not so, nazca was a town in which the ceramic was developed more than the
textile. It is also said that the Nazca and Paracas lived together for some time.
Nazca did not have a unified government, being thus the union of settlements by
the fertile zone of the Nazca territory. As the most important settlement was
Cahuachi, which was a set of adobe pyramids, platforms and plazas. There the
inhabitants of different groups met during periods for ceremonial celebrations. The
decadence occurred in 600 AD. It is believed that the desert advanced to the
Nazca settlements, and that the most important center of Nazca (Cahuachi) lost its
religiosity. During its existence it exchanged products with different cultures, thus
constructing what would be a network of commerce between Nazca, Warpa and
others.

1.1 Chronology of research on the Nazca civilization

1901: Archaeologist Max Uhle scientifically studies the Nazca civilization
1930: Paul kosok and Maria Reiche investigate the Nazca lines.
1932: Beginning of the restoration works of the Nazca lines by Maria Reiche.
1939: Hypothesis that the Nazca lines are an astronomical calendar used for
agriculture.
1976: Dieter Eisleb establishes a chronology of the Nazca civilization
1982: Beginning of the excavations of Giuseppe Orefici at the site of Cahuachi
1983: Publication of the book "Nazca, the key to the mystery" By Henri Stierlin.

2.- LOCATION

Its main seat was Kawachi, the first city of Peru, in the province of Nazca,
extending later by the valleys of Rio Grande, Ingenio, Ocucaje in the valley of Ica
and Topar to the north of Chincha and the valley of Acari by the south.
Nazca is a valley in the middle of the desert. There fructified an agriculture thanks
to the construction of numerous channels and subterranean aqueducts that
allowed to rationally take advantage of the underground water, the springs, puquios
or the flow of the rivers, in growing times. Some of the works continue to be used
by the current farmers.

3.- HISTORY

The story of the Nazca can be divided into four stages:

Early Nazca: The first Nazca communities were developed in the Rio
Grande basin, with their own pottery, without foreign influences.
Middle Nazca: It is the time of the formation of culture, under the influence of
the culture Paracas-Necropolis (now known as culture topar). They begin
the iconographic representations of their gods in their ceramics and textiles.
Also arises the ceremonial and administrative center of Cahuachi.
Late Nazca: It is a time of changes, when Cahuachi is abandoned, moving
its population to another place. The center of La Estaquera stands out. It is
believed that the Nazcas established relations with the Huarpas, a village in
the sierra, near the present Ayacucho, a contact that was fundamentally
important in the emergence of the Huari culture.
Nazca Final: It is the decadence, which begins around 700 AD. C. Their
causes are unknown; Possibly due to a combination of climatic setbacks, as
there is evidence of a retreat from the agricultural frontier at the expense of
the desert. Another possibility is the arrival of warlike populations, such as
the waris.

4.- ECONOMY
Nazca was a culture whose subsistence economy was based on intensive
agriculture.

4.1 Agriculture
The economic base was agriculture, an activity that was presented to the Nazca as
a challenge difficult to overcome by the geographic characteristics of the region
where they developed, as the climate is quite dry, agricultural land is few and there
is little water for The irrigation due to the little caudal that carry the rivers of those
region of Peru especially those of the basin of the Great river. In this regard, the
wise Antonio Raimondi observed that:
Groundwater exists in the subsoil of Nazca, but, being at the depth of 4 or 5
meters, can not be used for irrigation of the land. The river usually has only running
water for 40 days In the year, so that for more than 10 months Nazca would lack
water if it were not for the work undertaken by the ancient Indians.

The way the Nazcas solved this problem is one of the most admirable
achievements of their culture. Applying a remarkable hydraulic technology, they
constructed aqueducts, canals and wells that allowed to supply water permanently
the cultivated lands, thus managing to develop a solid agriculture. The main crops
were maize, beans, squash, squash, cassava, peanut, chilli, guava, lucuma, pacae
and cotton. With the latter they developed their tissues and clothing.

4.2 Fishing
The nazcas lived in front of a rich sea whose products took advantage of the
fishing and the shellfish. This relationship with the sea is evident in many of the
decorations that appear in his pottery. Not only do marine icons like the whale
appear, but also representations of these activities. In addition to fishing and
shelling it is believed that hunting must have been another complementary
economic activity.

4.3 Trade
The Nazca also carried out commercial activities of relative importance,
exchanging their surplus products with societies relatively distant from the coast,
such as the Huarpas, in the sierra.

5.- SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

At the head of the social pyramid of the Nazca were the centralized authorities,
made up of the lords and the priests. They had the ability to organize community
work and direct complex ceremonial activities. This elite lived in pyramidal
buildings, in special sectors whose rooms were made of adobe and walls covered
with a layer of plaster or lime to cover the cracks.
At the service of these authorities was a large number of specialized artisans, such
as ceramists and textile workers, astrologers, musicians and soldiers, who live in
small towns and ceremonial centers, among which the Cahuachi complex stands
out. The warriors in particular formed a highly respected and feared social class.
At the base of the society were farmers and fishermen, who lived scattered in
various parts of the territory. Farmers had almost all of the valleys, as they could
develop agriculture, with more space and fertile ground.
5.1 Political and military organization

The Nazca culture did not have a unified government nor a capital, but was a
grouping of local seoros. These lands occupied the valleys, at the ends of which
were the settlements, since the rest of the territory along each river was dedicated
exclusively to agriculture.
It is very possible that these lordships eventually made some kind of alliance, being
the only common bond religion, in addition to culture. The struggles between them
must have been incessant.
The Nazca lords were very fond of war. They were always looking for trophy heads
and painted their faces imitating the hawk's stains, as can be seen in their
artistic representations. We can presume that the Nasquense expansion was
military and violent, based on the following facts: the abrupt appearance of
ceramics is born in some deposits; The existence of fortified cities in the Nazca
area; The great quantity of weapons found in the tombs; And the custom of the
trophy heads. The Nazca expansionism was possibly due to the search for new
arable land in the face of the desertification process that threatened its own
territory.

6.- CUSTOMS

Some customs of the nazcas were the following:

The work they did most of the time was accompanied by a banquet that was
almost always chicha with several foods.

There are testimonies of individual cults as offerings in the form of bundles.

There are also testimonies of collective cults, food consumption in

ceremonial vessels and musical accompaniment with antaras and drums.

When for some reason it was judged that the huaca resident in the temple
lost its power or was unhappy, the community proceeded to rebuild it. The
ceilings and walls collapsed and the columns collapsed, but the foundations
were carefully buried and sealed. A new atmosphere of worship was built on
the platform. The number of reconstructions related to the importance and
political power of the community in charge of their worship.

They were accustomed to human sacrifices in religious rituals or warlike

ceremonies.

They mingled the heads of dead people, decorating and weaving them, to
perform their rites, as an offering to their gods.

7.- ART

7.1 Styles
In the development of the Nazca style two trends are clearly perceived:

La Monumental, relatively sober and naturalistic.

The Prolfera, of baroque type, with emphasis in the supernatural aspects.
There are also four stages:
Early Nazca, with the trend Monumental (about 100 BC-400 AD).
Nazca Medio, with both tendencies, the Monumental and the Prolifer (about
400-500 AD).
Late Nazca, with the Proliferous tendency (about 500-700 AD).
Epigonal or Disyunctive, stage in which some nasca elements survive, in a
totally changed cultural context (700-900 d.).

There is evidence that the transition from one tendency to another, which occurred
around the fifth century BC, was conditioned by important political and social
changes.

7.2 Geoglyphs
Geoglyphs are the most well-known artistic expression of the Nazca. These are
enormous drawings drawn on the pampas of Jumana, Ingenio, San Jos and
Socos, between Nazca and Palpa, north of the settlement of Cahuachi (between
km 419 and 465 of the South Pan-American). It is about 10,000 lines covering an
area of 350 km2. They represent a series of anthropomorphic, zoomorphic,
phytomorphic and amorphous figures, associated with straight lines of several
kilometers in length, that form 40 squares with diverse forms (triangles,
trapezoids). Among the larger drawings we can mention the Mono (90 m), the
Lizard (180 m), the Pelican and the Condor (135 m each). Other notable figures
are the Hummingbird and the Man-owl. All have been made with a precision that
until today astonishes the world. They were discovered in 1926 by Toribio Meja
Xesspe, then a young archaeologist, collaborator of Julio C. Tello. It was then
studied by Paul Kosok in 1941 and especially by the celebrated Mary Reiche, who
dedicated 40 years of her life to her research and conservation. A series of theories
have been woven about their meaning, ranging from fantastic speculation to
scientific speculation. The most widespread theory is that it be a gigantic
astronomical calendar with a practical purpose.9 10 Another possibility is that the
pampas were a sacred place where religious ceremonies were held; The lines
would be roads or ceques to the adoratories and the figures would have been
made to please the gods.
It is also striking that these lines have survived despite the passage of time. This
would be explained by its location, in a desert area with little rainfall and protected
from the wind, which would demonstrate the knowledge of geography and

meteorology that had the nazcas. The figures are difficult to observe from the plain.
To visualize them it is necessary to rise to a certain height.
The Nazca drawings are part of a tradition practiced in other parts of Peru.
Between Saa to the north and Tacna to the south has been able to locate more
than 20 places with lines and drawings among which the Pampas de Siguas
stands out. However, none of these equates to those of Nazca in terms of
enormity, precision and abundance.

7.3 Architecture
The Nazca used as main technique the use of adobe. The archaeological complex
of Cahuachi stands out on the banks of the Rio Grande, with more than 100
hectares of surface. It has a pyramid-shaped temple with superimposed terraces
and a palace of the warrior chiefs, amid six well-defined neighborhoods or
architectural complexes. Two construction techniques can be detected: one with
conical adobes and the other with quincha walls. It must have been the chief
ceremonial center of the Nazca.
In the vicinity of Cahuachi is La Estaquera, originally composed of 240 poles of
huarango, distributed in 12 rows of 20 stakes each, on an artificial platform. Each
stake is separated from one another by a distance of two meters and seems to be
columns that supported a roof. Its purpose is ignored. Unfortunately, these stakes
have gradually disappeared and there are only a few left standing.
Other urban centers were Nazca Tambo Viejo, Huaca del Loro and Pampa de
Tinguia.

7.4 Ceramics

Studied by Max Uhle, John Rowe, Alfred Kroeber, Dorothy Menzel and Donald
Proulx, Nazca ceramics are considered the best achieved in ancient Peru, due to
their high quality and variety.
A peculiar technique used was that before the firing of the ceramics the whole
surface was painted or decorated. This decoration stands out for its polychrome
and its complexity. They used up to eleven gradations of color in one piece, and
they handled about 190 different shades.
The most typical form of the vessels is the globular pitcher with two peaks or
landfills and with bridge-handle, basic scheme that adopts an infinity of variants, or
in the body, that adopts different forms, or in the pipes, whose extension is very
variable. They also made spherical pots, cups and glasses.

Another notable feature is the so-called "Horror to the void", that is to say, that the
potters did not leave in any of their ceramics some space without painting or
decorating. In these pieces are presented elements of daily life, such as flowers,
fruits, birds, animals and insects, as well as mythological characters or combining
human and animal attributes.
The Nazca motifs fall into three categories:

Naturalists: illustrate the environment.

Mythical or religious: they reveal the Nazca's perception of the
spiritual world.
Geometric: highlight circles, semicircles, rhombuses, lines, spirals, steps,
etc.

Dorothy Menzel divided the Nazca pottery into nine phases:

Phase 1, polychrome ceramic, with a special cooking technique that gives it

a glossy finish, with naturalistic motifs.
Phases 2, 3 and 4 (Nazca Monumental), which develops the themes and
forms of the previous phase.
Phase 5, is a phase of transition, with greater care in the finish and the
painting, mainly on white background.
Phases 6 and 7 (Proliferous Nazca), in which a proliferation of local designs
appears. It completely displaces Nazca Monumental.
Phase 8 (Disjunctive), continues the previous phase, but with foreign
influences, possibly Huari and the central coast.
Phase 9, correspondingly corresponds to a Huari ceramic phase.

7.5 Textile
The Nazca were heirs of the culture topar (called before Paracas-Necropolis) in
what concerns the elaboration of fine robes or fabrics, although they did not
achieve the same quality and sumptuousness in the finishes. However it stands out
for the variety of techniques used and the complexity of the designs. To make the
fabrics, they used cotton and camelid wool. They dominated the techniques of
embroidery, upholstery, gauze, painted fabrics, three-dimensional fabric and
embroidery. The latter are particularly notable. On the plain cotton cloth they
embroidered with camelid wool stained with various colors. Nazca potters moved
these designs to the surface of their vessels.

7.6 Goldsmithing
They used gold and silver to make masks, earmuffs, nose rings, and other ritual
objects, embellished with embossing, as they were plates. These objects were for
ceremonial and / or religious uses.

7.7 Trophy Heads

These had their origin in the cultures Chavn and Paracas, although under the
nazca they reached a great diffusion. To elaborate them, the brain was drawn at
the base of the skull; Then the mouth was sewn or closed with thorns, and a small
hole was made in the forehead, through which a rope passed so that they could be
hung at the waist or neck.
On their purpose, there is a widespread belief that they were trophies of war: the
victorious warrior had the right to cut off the head of the defeated enemy and turn it
into a trophy that he always carried with him. It would also be like a ritual of
preventing any damage that could make the spirit of the warrior dead. However,
the finding of heads of children and women who are not associated with war
contexts, has led to suppose that they were rather practices linked to the cult of
fertility.
Finally, the Nazca elaborated, as part of ritual clothing, drums that were decorated
with scenes or mythical drawings, and of stylized animals, all of them with
polychrome characteristics. The patch was placed on the bottom and to make it
sound, it was on its side.

8.- BELIEFS
The Nazca civilization performed rituals to the divinities of the sea, sky, earth, fire,
water, wind and the creative God. Much of their constructions and elaborations
were made for the gods, so that there would be no droughts, and that the canals
would not dry out. Their religion also had much to do with the mystery of the Nazca
Lines, which are considered by some as an agricultural circle and astronomical
calendar, but others say that these were place of numerous rituals dedicated to
their gods.

9.- BURIALS
The burials typical of the Nazca are generally individual, within a shallow well. The
importance of the deceased can be determined by the complexity of the roofing of
the chamber, the eventual coating of walls and the number of objects it encloses
(vessels, cloaks, tufts, hats and bouquets). At the site of La Mua, in the valley of
Palpa, deep burial chambers were discovered for the first time and associated with
monumental architecture, but unfortunately they had already been devastated by
the Huaqueros.
The mummy, placed in the fetal position, is wrapped in layers of mantles, forming a
bundle, similar to that of the paracas. Some bundles have the so-called "false
head", a small bulge at the top, which simulates a head.
The tombs of the men and women of the village lack luxury. This was the exclusive
patrimony of the nobility.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Historia

http://todosobrelahistoriadelperu.blogspot.pe/2011/07/cultura-nazca.html
Historia del Peru. Madrid. 2009. http://historiaperuana.pe/periodoautoctono/cultura-nazca/

del

Peru.

Bloog.

Madrid.

Blooger

Template.

2006.

Nazca.
Wikipedia.
Lima.
Wikimedia.
2016.https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_(cultura)#Creencias
Historia
Universal.
Anibal
Gonzales.
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http://www.historiacultural.com/2008/02/intermedio-temprano.html

ATTACHMENT

Figure 1. Location of Nazca Culture

Figure 2. Geoglyphs of the Nazca Culture

Figure 3. Trophy Heads

Figure 4. Nazca textile