﻿Vol.2] 
  ARCHEOLOGY 
  OF 
  CENTRAL 
  ANDES 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  95 
  

  

  general 
  are 
  like 
  the 
  ceramic 
  designs, 
  including 
  the 
  anthropomorphic 
  

   curvilinear 
  figures, 
  birds, 
  flowers, 
  fishes, 
  and 
  some 
  geometric 
  patterns. 
  

   Some 
  painted 
  textiles 
  have 
  designs 
  resembling 
  the 
  Nazca-A 
  style, 
  but 
  

   otherwise 
  the 
  subdivisions 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  verified 
  

   by 
  textiles. 
  

  

  Gold 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  metal 
  known 
  for 
  the 
  Nazca 
  Period. 
  Metallurgi- 
  

   cal 
  techniques 
  are 
  not 
  elaborate, 
  but 
  gold 
  was 
  hammered 
  and 
  cut- 
  

   out 
  in 
  simple 
  design. 
  Flat 
  gold 
  pieces 
  with 
  incised 
  design 
  were 
  used 
  as 
  

   mouth 
  masks 
  and 
  as 
  head 
  ornaments 
  as 
  depicted 
  in 
  some 
  ceramic 
  d 
  esigns 
  . 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  ceramic 
  and 
  textile 
  arts 
  the 
  Nazca 
  craft 
  standards 
  were 
  

   high. 
  Although 
  there 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  craft 
  specialists, 
  the 
  pieces 
  

   themselves 
  cannot 
  be 
  identified 
  as 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  any 
  single 
  individual. 
  

   In 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  individual 
  artist 
  was 
  subordinate 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  

   high 
  technical 
  standards 
  of 
  the 
  art. 
  Although 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  mate- 
  

   rials 
  indicates 
  that 
  numerous 
  individuals 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  potters 
  and 
  

   weavers, 
  apparently 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  achieve 
  the 
  high 
  standard. 
  

  

  PARACAS 
  

  

  The 
  site 
  of 
  Paracas 
  is 
  located 
  on 
  the 
  Pisco 
  Peninsula 
  in 
  the 
  barren 
  

   sandy 
  wastes 
  around 
  the 
  hill 
  called 
  Cerro 
  Colorado. 
  The 
  term 
  Para- 
  

   cas 
  is 
  frequently 
  used 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  culture 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  site. 
  

   Actually, 
  however, 
  the 
  Paracas 
  site 
  has 
  two 
  distinct 
  although 
  related 
  

   cultures, 
  namely, 
  the 
  Cavernas 
  and 
  the 
  Necropolis. 
  

  

  The 
  Cavernas 
  culture 
  is 
  named 
  after 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  cavern 
  tomb 
  cut 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  semihard 
  rock 
  on 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  Cerro 
  Colorado. 
  It 
  is 
  

   presumably 
  older 
  than 
  the 
  Necropolis 
  although 
  convincing 
  evidence 
  

   of 
  this 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  published. 
  The 
  Cavernas 
  tombs 
  vary 
  greatly 
  

   in 
  cross 
  section, 
  but 
  in 
  general 
  consist 
  of 
  long 
  tubular 
  shafts 
  which 
  

   descend 
  vertically 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  13 
  feet 
  (3 
  to 
  4 
  m.) 
  and 
  enter 
  large 
  glob- 
  

   ular 
  chambers 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  multiple 
  burials 
  and 
  the 
  grave 
  equipment 
  

   are 
  placed. 
  

  

  Cavernas 
  pottery 
  presents 
  a 
  unique 
  style 
  (pis. 
  20; 
  21, 
  d, 
  e). 
  Open 
  

   bowls, 
  globular 
  vessels 
  with 
  two 
  spouts, 
  and 
  modeled 
  fruits 
  and 
  anthro- 
  

   pomorphic 
  figures 
  are 
  the 
  common 
  shapes. 
  Incised 
  decoration 
  is 
  

   typical 
  with 
  the 
  areas 
  between 
  the 
  incised 
  lines 
  covered 
  with 
  bright- 
  

   colored 
  canary-yellow, 
  green, 
  red, 
  and 
  black 
  paint. 
  These 
  colors 
  are 
  

   not 
  well 
  applied 
  and 
  frequently 
  flake 
  off. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  are 
  

   decorated 
  in 
  two-color 
  negative 
  painting. 
  The 
  designs 
  are 
  basically 
  

   geometric, 
  but 
  some 
  vessels 
  have 
  a 
  feline 
  pattern 
  suggestive 
  of 
  Chavin 
  

   influence. 
  The 
  Cavernas-style 
  pottery 
  has 
  so 
  far 
  only 
  been 
  found 
  

   at 
  Paracas 
  and 
  at 
  Ocucaje 
  in 
  lea 
  Valley. 
  

  

  Textiles 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  caverns 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  high 
  quality 
  

   as 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  Necropolis. 
  A 
  few 
  gold 
  objects 
  are 
  associated, 
  but 
  

   no 
  copper 
  or 
  silver. 
  Nets 
  and 
  gourds 
  and 
  baskets 
  of 
  totora 
  reeds 
  

   accompany 
  the 
  burials. 
  

  

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