Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BIRTH OF LOCAL CULTURES
After 300 BC, numerous local settlements achieved importance at a regional level. South of
Lima, in the area surrounding the Paracas Peninsula, lived a coastal community whose
most significant phase is referred to as Paracas Necropolis (AD 1-400), after a large burial
site. It is here that some of the finest pre-Columbian textiles in the Americas have been un-
earthed: colorful, intricate fabrics that depict oceanic creatures, feline warriors and stylized
anthropomorphic figures. (For more on Paracas, turn to
Click here
.)
To the south, the people of the Nazca culture
(200 BC-AD 600) carved giant, enigmatic
designs into the desert landscape that can only
be seen from the air. Known as the Nazca Lines
(
Click here
)
, these were mapped early in the
20th century - though their exact purpose re-
mains up for debate. The culture is also known
for its fine textile and pottery works, the latter
of which utilized - for the first time in Peruvian
history - a polychrome (multicolored) paint technique.
During this same time, the Moche culture settled the area around Trujillo between AD
100 and 800. This was an especially artistic group (they produced some of the most re-
markable portrait art in history), leaving behind important temple mounds, such as the
Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Temples of the Sun and Moon;
Click here
)
, near Trujillo, and
the burial site of Sipán (
Click here
), outside Chiclayo. The latter contains a series of
tombs that have been under excavation since 1987 - one of the most important archaeolo-
gical discoveries in South America since Machu Picchu.
A catastrophic drought in the latter half of the 6th century may have contributed to the
demise of the Moche as a culture. For more on this group,
Click here
.
The Tiwanaku were a pre-Inca culture that settled
the area around Lake Titicaca and are, in many
ways, closely linked with the Wari. Margaret
Young-Sanchez's
Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca,
provides a lushly illustrated compendium of their
art and history.
Photographer Martín Chambi (1891-1973) was
known for his beguiling black and white photo-
graphs of Cuzco in the early 20th century. These
provide a revealing portrait of the city before the
age of mass tourism. To see images, log on to
