Paracas Culture

The Paracas Culture was an important society in the history of Peru, well known for its textile art, its mummies and for cranial trepanation to be able to cure fractures and tumors in the skull.

They arose approximately approximately between 700 a.C. and 200 AD, with extensive knowledge of irrigation and water management. Most of our information on the life of the inhabitants of the Paracas culture comes from the excavations in the necropolis of Paracas, first investigated by the Peruvian archaeologist Julio C. Tello in the 1920s. The necropolis of Wari Kayan consisted of in a multitude of large underground funerary chambers, with an average capacity of about forty mummies. It is suggested that each large chamber could have been owned by a specific family or clan, which they use for many generations. Each mummy was tied with rope to keep it in place, and then wrapped in many layers of intricate textiles, ornamentals, and fine tissue. These textiles are now known as some of the best ever produced by Andean pre-Columbian societies, and are the main works of art for which the Paracas culture is known.

Geographical Location of the Paracas Culture

It was developed in the Paracas peninsula, located in what is now the Paracas district of the province of Pisco, in the Ica Region, located 18kms from the city of Pisco. Its main centers were in the Bay of Paracas and its influence reached Chincha, Pisco, Ica, Palpa and Rio Grande. The Paracas culture extended north to the Cañete valley and south to the Llauca valley in Arequipa, as important remains of this culture in the Ica Valley are two villages Peña Vajahuana and Animas altos and in the valley of Chincha the Huaca Rosa.

Periods of the Paracas Culture

In the Paracas culture, according to the eminent archaeologist Julio C. Tello, two cultures or successive phases are distinguished, taking into account the way they buried their dead: Paracas-cavernas and Paracas-necropolis.

Paracas Caverns

The tombs of this culture were found in Cerro Colorado, a place located 18 kilometers south of Pisco. The caverns are located under the sand, two meters deep; They have the shape of an inverted cup. There were mummies wrapped with bales, made with fabrics that were surrounded by offerings consisting of food: corn, cassava, beans, pallares, etc. The population must have been farmers, warrior, religious and cheerful.

They built the fortified village of Tajahuana, on a stony plateau that rises 200 meters above the level of the crops. In the same way, they built their houses on the slopes of the hills.

At first they worshiped an ocular being, a disembodied character, with only eyes and mouth. Later, this being acquired the form of a fearsome character who carried a knife and a trophy head in his hands.

Finally the happy character of the population is manifested by the presence of musical instruments, such as drums, trumpets, antaras and whistles.

Textile art

They were the most notable in textile art with high quality materials such as: alpaca, vicuña wool, cotton, multicolored feathers, etc. They used geometric drawings and a beautiful combination of colors: red, blue, yellow, black, white, etc.

It is considered as the best of all ancient cultures since it was very harmonious and with many colors, they had animal designs, anthropomorphic and geometric, some feathers included. The Mantles of the Paracas culture are known throughout the world for their great quality and fine fabrics.