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Long before the Nazca Lines were discovered, the
Nazca Culture was already known by many, thanks to the
colorful ceramics that were found at the many
cemeteries located along the banks of the Nazca River.
The peculiarity of these vessels is that they show in a
very realistic way the ancient world of the Nazca men,
showing mainly their everyday life, animals, plants,
birds, and gods, stylized creatures, including
zoomorphic and anthropomorphic designs that sometimes
reach more than ten colors in just one vessel. The best
examples of these Nazca ceramics can be seen today in
museums in Lima, such as the Anthropological and
Archaeological Museum in Lima, The Regional Museum of
Ica, and many others in Peru and around the world.
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Bird Wing Design - Double Spout
Bridge Vessel |
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Bowl with the face of a supernatural
being - Ceramic, natural pigments -
Nazca culture, ca. AD 200-400
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Restoring a piece at the National
Archaeology Museum in Lima Peru |
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Nazca
Beaker |
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Nazca
Double Spout Bridge vessel - similar
to Moche design |
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Nazca
trophy heads vessel |
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The Nazca culture from 400 BCE to
600 ACE developed technologically
refined, polychromatic ceramics with
stirring symbolic images. Bowls,
beakers, and spout jars painted with
designs of birds, fish, fruits, and
mythological figures in three to
eight colors were common with black,
brown, gray, red, yellow, white, and
violet being the favorite color
choices. Similar line drawings of
birds, fish, monkeys, plants,
spiders, and a whale have been
etched across more than 800 miles of
desert ground.
The full import of the geoglyphs
remains somewhat of an enigma.
Although the true meaning of the
Nazca lines might not be readily
apparent, some of the pieces of the
Andean puzzle are decipherable like
the straight lines which were sacred
pathways used to bring water.
Perhaps the geoglyph patterns were
an artistic form of Nazca
storytelling, similar to hieroglyphs
or cave paintings of ancient truths
and events. |
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Nazca Human-effigy Vessel - note
trophy head in the design - also
note the crown design with what
would probably be a gold piece on
the front |
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Typical Bearded Man motif
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Bridge-spouted polychrome vessel
with birds and maize
Ceramic, natural pigments
Nazca culture, ca. AD 300-500
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Nazca Tambor vessel showing trophy
heads |
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Typical Nazca Double Spout With
Bridge Vessel |
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Nazca
Animal Effigy |
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Nazca
effigy playing a pipe |
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Gallery Of
Pre-Columbian Nazca Ceramics
