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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



in objects of the Tiahuanaco period had 

 I so far found this characteristic feature. 

 I decided to dig in this place. Quickly 

 the necessary workmen were brought 

 together and a donkey was set to work 

 to carry all day long the supply of 

 drinking water from a spot three miles 

 away where water was to be found in the 

 river bed at about three feet below 

 ground. The first day's work proved 

 that the long sought cemetery had, at 

 last, been found and that the beautiful 

 polychrome ware had been located." 



Archaeologists recognize four principal 

 types in the immense variety of prehis- 

 toric Peruvian pottery : that of Tiahuan- 

 aco ; the Inca type on the shores of Lake 

 Titicaca, with its classical forms; that 

 of the region of Trujillo, and the Nasca 

 style with its polychrome decorations. 

 These four different types would seem to 

 mark periods of the highest cultural 

 development in Peru in prehistoric 

 times. 



What has ever been a mystery in the 

 study of the archaeology of southern 

 Peru is the fact that so many of the seats 

 of culture are found to be in arid valleys 

 where there is little or no rmming water, 

 surrounded by extensive deserts. In 

 many such situations there must have 

 been a dense population as evinced by 

 the vast cemeteries. There do not seem 

 to be any known facts to support the 

 theory that the climate has undergone 

 any great change. Why were such locali- 

 ties selected and how was it possible that 

 means of support could be found for a 

 large body of people under such unfavor- 

 able conditions? Although the vicinity 

 of Nasca does not appear to have been 

 one of the densely populated districts, the 



conditions were the same as others just 

 described. 



Nasca lies about two hundred and 

 twenty miles to the south of Lima and 

 fifty miles inland from the Pacific coast. 

 The region is extremely hot and dry, and 

 the soil is mostly sand strongly impreg- 

 nated with nitre. About the only native 

 forms of vegetation to be seen are alga- 

 roba trees and the indigenous cotton 

 bush. 



The graves are usually from six to 

 ten feet deep in the sand. The body, 

 clothed in a poncho and wrapped about 

 with various pieces of cloth, was placed 

 in a sitting posture. Commonly two or 

 more vessels of this beautiful polychrome 

 ware, and various articles that had be- 

 longed to the deceased, were placed 

 beside the body in the grave; sticks of 

 algaroba wood were laid over the 

 "mummy," and the pit filled in with 

 sand. Infants were buried in large 

 earthen jars. Objects of gold have been 

 found in these graves, but up to the 

 present time no implements of copper 

 or bronze have been discovered. 



The colors used in decorating Nasca 

 pottery were white, yellowish white, 

 yellow, red, orange red, pink, deep red, 

 brown, light blue, blue, violet, gray and 

 black. As in other parts of Peru, the 

 decorative motives are largely drawn 

 from the human figure, birds, fish, the 

 great cats, mythological monsters which 

 are usually a combination of human and 

 animal figures, and geometrical designs 

 derived from the textile art. The ac- 

 companying illustrations show forms and 

 decorative designs, but of course give 

 no idea of the colors which are the chief 

 charm of these ancient water vessels. 



