Encyclopedia Article – Pre-Incan Civilizations

The Incas Ancestors

The oldest of the Pre-Incan Civilizations was Chavin, which prospered in the Northern-Andean Highlands from 1200 B.C to about 100 B.C. Their empire covered from grasslands to dry and cold terrain to mountainous regions. The capital, after which the civilization has been named, is called Chavin de Haunter. It is located North of Lima and was built at about 900 B.C.  It was not only the capital, but also a big ceremonial center. The architects of the temples had a good acoustic system that caused the drainage systems of the temples to “growl like a Leopard.” In addition, the Chavin accomplished the melting of metals, especially gold. This led to the rise in art, which spread around the empire and was very important. These people mostly carved the figures of jaguars, eagles and a felines. However the Chavin did not directly influence the Inca, but they did set up the stage and crucial foundation for other civilizations to build on that. It is not known to the modern day how the Chavin became extinct but it is thought that it might have been a famine, or possible and earthquake that scared the people away.

The Paracas flourished at the same time as the Chavin, yet they lived in the now known  Paracas district. Their existence lasted from 600 B.C to about 150 B.C. They were not a landlocked civilization, and most of the evidence of the Paracas Culture came from a seaside excavation. It showed textiles of good quality and quantity. The woven objects were mostly used in ceremonies, such as wrapping up mummies in these towels. Some of these textiles show the lunar calendar and the cycle of life and death. All of those pieces showed exactly how advanced the Paracas Culture was. This is also how much they influenced the Incas and because of their Textile skills the Incas adapted them. They also used them for ceremonial uses just like the Paracas. The civilization of Paracas was thought to be extinguished by an El Nino catastrophe or a very bad famine, like the Chavin.

Starting at the year zero, the most mystical and mysterious civilization was born. They were known as the Nazca culture. They established their empire in Ica Valley, and that’s where they started flourishing. The Nazcas social structure consisted of a non-urban center with smaller chiefdoms and tribes scattered around. The main center, called Cahuachi, was the home of all the main rituals and feast related to fertility, food and crops. The products the Nazca produced consisted of pottery, textiles, food like maize, squash, bean, peanuts, fish. Other products were gold and Spondylus shells. Taking from this list, it can be observed that the Nazca were a very productive folk. The religion of the Nazca were very creative and respected. They had gods for harvest, fertility, and crops. A few of them are very interesting like the Mystical Killer whale, the Serpent or the Spotted Cat. The Nazca Culture also contributed much to the technology of South-East America. They invented Geologhyphs, which are huge pictures that are carved into the dessert. There was some doubt that it was the Nazca who created this achievement, but it has been proven that with enough man-labor and time it could have been done. Another big technology the Nazca created was brain surgery, which was conducted with very simple tools. This Civilization was not only great with physics and technology but also in biology. Priests extracted juice from the San Pedro Cactus. Then if taken, people would get “visions” from the gods.

The Nazca were the folk that contributed the most to the Inca. The huge lines (geologhyps) could have contributed to the road systems of the Inca, and their religion could have been the foundation of the Incas. As mentioned earlier, the Nazca were a great mystery on how they built their lines in the sand, and it also stays a mystery on how a such vast culture could be wiped out.

Nazca Line. N.d. Image Shack. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2010. 

     <http://beingunexceptional.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html>.

Citations:

1.) "Chavin." Britannica Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2010.

     <http://school.ebonline.com/all/eb/article-9022721?query=chavin&ct=null>.

2.) Gruber, Beth. Ancient Inca. Washington D.C: National Geographic , 2007. Print.

3.) "Nazca." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online School Edition. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan.

     2010. <http://school.ebonline.com/all/eb/

     article-9055109?query=nasca&ct=>.