The Nazca civilization
When Nazca is named, one immediately thinks of the famous lines in the desert and the geoglyphs that so inspired the imagination of fanciful travelers and that, however, are only one of the many peculiarities of this important and ancient Peruvian culture that It developed from the 5th century BC.
The Nazca civilization originated from already existing cultures, such as the Paracas, which distinguished itself for having achieved excellence in textile art and ceramics. The Nazca lived on the southern coast of Peru, in the valleys of Chincha, Pisco, Ica, Río Grande and Acari.
The main city of the Nazca was Cahuachi, located about 50 kilometers from the current city of Nazca. The capital was surrounded by powerful walls. In the main square there was a pyramid twenty meters high with a rectangular base measuring 110 by 90 meters. On the southern coast of Peru there are other important archaeological sites that belong to the Nazca culture, such as the towns of Estaquería and Tambo Viejo. The latter is surrounded by defensive walls of stone and adobe.
The first scholar to scientifically analyze the Nazca tombs was the German Max Ulhe. In the town of Ocucaje, mummies were found in an excellent state of preservation thanks to the dry climate, around which there were very particular offerings, such as painted ceramics, one of the most beautiful in South America, exquisitely made gold masks and colorful fabrics of excellent quality that illustrated war and hunting scenes.
Indeed, the heritage of the Paracas culture, with its grandiose fabrics, in Nazca is perceived in the ceramics, whose painted zoomorphic drawings show a deep sense of beauty.
However, the best-known feature of the Nazca culture are the famous geoglyphs (from Greek: signs on the earth) that are noted on the Pan-American Highway. They are enormous figures, which can be observed only from the sky and which represent abstract signs, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures and strange parallel and perpendicular lines.
It is not known when they were built or if they can be attributed to the Nazca culture. For some researchers, an unknown, antediluvian culture made them, but for now there is no evidence of such assumptions.
One of the first scholars to see them from above was the American astronomer and mathematician Kosok, who in June 1939 was sent to the area to investigate whether the geoglyphs were remains of ancient irrigation canals.
Kosok's first flight took place by pure coincidence on June 22, 1939, the shortest day of the year, when the winter solstice occurs in the southern hemisphere. After having observed the geoglyphs from above, Kosok wanted to watch the sunset on a hill crossed by one of the strange lines. After a while he realized that the geoglyph indicated exactly the place where the sun was lost on the horizon, at the exact moment of sunset: a clear indication that those who made the colossal sign had an astonishing knowledge of astronomy and chronology. Since four days pass after the solstice before the days begin to lengthen again, 4 was considered a sacred and important number for the Nazca and for all the cultures of South America.
Kosok also discovered the method used to outline the gigantic signs on the earth's surface: the edges of the lines are stones of a darker color than the others due to oxidation, and which, having been stacked, constitute the contours of the represented figures. The difficult thing to explain is how the exact distances could be calculated from the ground to construct kilometers long drawings while maintaining proportions. Surely, the ancient artists of gigantic scale knew very well the geometry, necessary to be able to represent figures measuring kilometers in length on a scale, keeping them well proportioned.
Flying in a small single-engine plane in the area of geoglyphs, you realize that most of them, some of which are up to 300 meters long, illustrate animals that have to do with water or fertility. Other zoomorphic signs are instead symbolic and totemic. Describing them in detail, these represent, for example, a whale (symbol of the sea), a spider and an ape (symbols associated with the jungle and therefore with humidity and rain), various birds such as the hummingbird, the condor, the parrot, the gannet, all symbols related to the sun, therefore, to the world of the future or tomorrow. There are also other signs, such as the so-called “astronaut” (just an anthropomorphic figure), the hands, the spiral, the snake (symbol of the underworld) and many converging, parallel and perpendicular lines.
In my opinion, the most valid explanation as to why the Nazca lines and geoglyphs were made was given by archaeologists Markus Reindel and Johnny Isla, because according to them, the geoglyphs were part of rituals linked to water and water supply. The problem of drought, in fact, greatly damaged the lives of the former inhabitants of the area. In some excavations carried out in the geoglyphs they found small cavities where offerings had been placed to the Gods: corn, chicha, leaves considered sacred. Furthermore, precisely the symbolism of the signs that represent jungle animals such as the ape, suggests that the ancient inhabitants of Nazca predicted a more humid and rainy climate.
The town of Palpa also offers information about the life and symbolism of the Nazca culture, since there are not only other geoglyphs visible only from above, but also numerous petroglyphs, stone books that describe how important the cult of the rain for this ancient town.
Another of the important peculiarities of the Nazca civilization were the aqueducts. In the Cantalloc area you can see deep wells built in a spiral and connected to each other. With this advanced system they stored water even in the most arid periods, when the bottom of the rivers was completely dry.
As for the economy, the ancient Nazca people supported themselves mainly from agriculture: corn, beans, cassava, lucuma, guava. They exchanged their products (cotton, for example) with the coastal tribes who, in exchange, gave them fish and mollusks. It is almost certain that trade was also carried out with the mountains, where typical cereals of the Andes were obtained: quinoa, quihuicha and other vegetables, such as maca.
Regarding the organization of Nazca society, it is thought that the dominant caste was that of the priests, who guided the people spiritually and politically. This culture declined around the 6th century AD. To date there is no certain explanation as to why the main towns were abandoned, but it is believed that the most valid reason was once again the climate, since perhaps a period of extreme drought forced the survivors to emigrate to most fertile areas, probably located in the mountains, where it was very cold, but where water could be found in abundance. The survivors are likely to have integrated into the Wari culture.
YURI LEVERATTO
