Did the Nazca people have a written language?
Following the Paracas, the Nazca civilization flourished from about 200 B.C. to A.D. 600. Since the Nazca people possessed no written language, much of their culture remains enigmatic.
What is Nazca famous for?
The Nazca Lines are perhaps best known for the representations of about 70 animals and plants, some of which measure up to 1,200 feet (370 meters) long. Examples include a spider, hummingbird, cactus plant, monkey, whale, llama, duck, flower, tree, lizard and dog.
When did the Nazca culture exist?
Nazca, culture located on the southern coast of present-day Peru during the Early Intermediate Period (c. 200 bc–ad 600), so called from the Nazca Valley but including also the Pisco, Chincha, Ica, Palpa, and Acarí valleys.
What kind of houses did the Nazca live in?
The Nazca elite lived in the pyramids constructions which were made of adobe and the walls covered with a layer of gypsum or lime to close the cracks. Instead the people lived on the outskirts of the city. Their houses were built with trunks of carob trees that formed the walls.
What type of food did the Nazca grow?
Thanks to the puquois, the Nazca were able to grow a number of crops in the region. Staple foods included maize (corn), beans, and squash. They also consumed fish, peanuts, sweet potato, and cassava. Their non-consumable crops included gourds, the coca plant, and cotton, which was used for textiles.
What is the Nazca culture?
The Nazca culture (also Nasca) was the archaeological culture that flourished from c. 100 BC to 800 AD beside the arid, southern coast of Peru in the river valleys of the Rio Grande de Nazca drainage and the Ica Valley.
Did the Nazca have a writing system?
This period was one of a shift in power from the coast to the highlands with the advent of the Wari culture about 650 CE. The Nazca, like all other Pre-Columbian societies in South America including the Inca, had no writing system, in contrast to the contemporary Maya of Mesoamerica.
How did the Nazcas solve the problem of uncultivated land?
The Nazcas were able to solve the problem of uncultivated land on the coast by using a network of aqueducts, which is a feat of hydraulic engineering. The Nasca culture belongs to the Intermedio Temprano, also called period of Master Craftsmen.
What does the pottery found in Cahuachi tell us about the Nazca?
The pottery found in Cahuachi led archaeologists to believe that the site was not specifically urban and ceremonial. The Nazca were divided into valleys where there were many settlements. Each village had its own authority, usually a “specialist” priest.
