Lines On the Desert Plains: Chapter 3 An investigation of the Nazca Lines

Chapter 3



The Paracas practiced skull trepanation. Trepanation was a primitive skull surgery used either to relieve pressure on the brain or for religious purposes- to reach a higher level of consciousness. It entailed the removal of one or more sections of bone from the cranium (while the person was still alive). Evidence of trepanation has been seen in excavated sites and some of the skulls show signs of healing, which is evidence that the individual survived the procedure. How they behaved after the operation is not known.

Medical Instruments for Trepanation and Skull



.Another practice the Paracas passed on to the Nazca was skull manipulation. Elongated skulls as a result of skull manipulation were also found at Cahuachi. The effect of binding a cushion to an infant’s forehead and a board in back of the head. Archaeologists have speculated why this was done. More than likely it indicated social status. The latter would make the most sense. But the shapes of the skulls were also different from each other in many cases. So a few of them could be the result of being cross-bred with the ancient astronauts themselves, but this would not have applied to most cases had it happened.









A Collection of Manipulated skulls from Paracas territory



As you can see that the Paracas became pretty creative when if came to skull manipulation. The one in the front center looks like the skull of an alien. One source reports that high up in the Andes at altitudes over 10,000 feet lived very different races the- Aymoras to the south, and the Huancas to the north- who had remarkable elongated heads with larger hearts than the average human and had a larger lung capacity. Hundreds of bodies have been found with elongated heads. Some believe that those with elongated heads were the ones who built canals, aqueducts and wells operated and maintained them with a remarkable knowledge of water distribution.

Skull Found at Cahauchi

This person may have been a leader and a builder of the Nazca lines. Cahuachi was the cultural center for the Nazca located near the Rio Grande Nazca River.

The Paracus occupied the central valleys of southern Peru from Chincha to Nazca. Chincha was the northernmost city in Paracas.

The Ruins of Chincha

Each of the valleys and regions occupied by the Paracas have their own timeline, that fit into the general chronology. Julio C. Tello divides their history into two parts. The Paracas caverns were in use from ca. 800-200 B.C. and the Paracus necropolis from 200 -150 B.C. The Paracas practiced ancestor worship. It is not known how long the burial bundles were worshipped or if ever stopped. The Paracas built their cities in the neighboring Valley of Pisco. The Paracas built Chincha using the principles of architecture expressed in pyramids.

Moche Jaguar Pottery



Another culture that had an effect on the Paracas-Nazca and co-exsisted with them was the Moche culture, which was located on a strip of land on the coast north of Paracas-Nazca territory. They are thought to have had limited contact with the Nazca. The Paracas-Nazca mined quano (manure) for fertilizer and the Moche traded with them for this. Moche pottery have been found near Ica, but no Paracas-Nazca pottery has been found in Moche territory. But their influence may have went all the way into Nazca territory. There is a possibility that some of them may have joined the Nazca culture.