Paracas culture

For other uses, see Paracas (disambiguation).
Paracas
Map showing the extent of the Paracas culture
Area of development and influence of the Paracas culture.
PeriodEarly Horizon
Datesc. 800 BCE – 100 BCE
Major sitesParacas Candelabra
Followed byNazca culture
Ceramic Bottle with Feline Face, 4th–3rd century BCE. The face of a snarling feline decorates the side of the vessel chamber, directly under the whistle spout.[1]

The Paracas culture was an Andean society existing between approximately 800 BCE and 100 BCE, with an extensive knowledge of irrigation and water management and that made significant contributions in the textile arts. It was located in what today is the Ica Region of Peru. Most information about the lives of the Paracas people comes from excavations at the large seaside Paracas site on the Paracas Peninsula, first formally investigated in the 1920s by Peruvian archaeologist Julio Tello.[2]

The Paracas Cavernas are shaft tombs set into the top of Cerro Colorado, each containing multiple burials. There is evidence that over the centuries when the culture thrived, these tombs were reused. In some cases, the heads of the deceased were taken out, apparently for rituals, and later reburied. The associated ceramics include incised polychrome, "negative" resist decoration, and other wares of the Paracas tradition. The associated textiles include many complex weave structures, as well as elaborate plaiting and knotting techniques.[3]

The necropolis of Wari Kayan consisted of two clusters of hundreds of burials set closely together inside and around abandoned buildings on the steep north slope of Cerro Colorado. The associated ceramics are very fine plain wares, some with white and red slips, others with pattern-burnished decoration, and other wares of the Topara tradition. Each burial consisted of a conical textile-wrapped bundle, most containing a seated individual facing north across the bay of Paracas, next to grave offerings such as ceramics, foodstuffs, baskets, and weapons. Each body was bound with cord to hold it in a seated position, before being wrapped in many layers of intricate, ornate, and finely woven textiles. The Paracas Necropolis textiles and embroideries are considered to be some of the finest ever produced by Pre-Columbian Andean societies. They are the primary works of art by which Paracas culture is known. Burials at the necropolis of Wari Kayan continued until approximately 250 CE. Many of the mortuary bundles include textiles similar to those of the early Nazca culture, which arose after the Paracas.[4]

  1. ^ Bottle, Feline Face, 4th–3rd century BCE Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. ^ Atwood, Roger (2020). "Weaving for Their Ancestors". Archaeology. 73 (6): 52–58. ISSN 0003-8113. JSTOR 27056790.
  3. ^ Kriss, Dawn; Howe, Ellen; Levinson, Judith; Rizzo, Adriana; Carò, Federico; DeLeonardis, Lisa (December 2018). "A material and technical study of Paracas painted ceramics". Antiquity. 92 (366): 1492–1510. doi:10.15184/aqy.2018.164. ISSN 0003-598X.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :92 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).