Tory+Whiting

Nazca

**Location** The Nazca civilization is located in South America in modern day Peru. The land receives only about 20 minutes of rainfall, it is flat, and stony ground.

 **Time Period** Early Nazca AD 1-450 Middle Nazca AD 450-650 Late Nazca AD 650- 750

**Government** The Nazca were a loose confederacy of chiefdoms--not with a centralized government, but rather autonomous settlements that regularly convened for rituals. ** Everyday Life ** The early Nazca culture arose as a loosely-affiliated group of rural villages with self-sufficient subsistence based on corn agriculture. The villages had a distinctive art style, specific rituals and burial customs. An important Nazca ceremonial center, was built and became a focus of feasting and ceremonial activities. The Middle Nazca period saw many changes, perhaps brought about by a long drought. Settlement patterns and subsistence and irrigation practices changed.  The Nazca civilization was located in the Nasca region as defined by the Ica and Grande river drainages, on the southern coast of Peru between about AD 1-750. ** Religion ** Likely related to the arid and extreme nature of the environment, Nazca religious beliefs were centered around agriculture and fertility. Much of Nazca art shows powerful nature gods, like a killer whale, the harvesters, the spotted cat, the serpentine creature. Much as in the contemporary Moche culture based in northwest Peru, shamans used hallucinogenic drugs, like taking from the San Pedro cactus, to make people see visions. Religious events and ceremonies took place in Cahuachi. The people worshipped the nature gods to help in the growth of agriculture.


 * Review Questions**

South America in Brazil AD 450-650 Loose confederacy of chiefdom The village had a distinctive art style and, specific rituals and burial customs They worshipped a killer whale, spotted cat, serpentine creature, and harvesters
 * 1. Where was Nazca located?**
 * 2. What time period was the Middle Nazca?**
 * 3. What was the government like?**
 * 4. How was everyday life in Nazca?**
 * 5. What were some of the gods?**