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The Birth of a Culture

The Nazca Other desert artists include the Nazca (100-1000) of Peru who were also influenced by the Chavín. The Nazca made huge drawings on the ground by removing the dark surface gravel of the earth to reveal the light-colored rock underneath. These pictures of birds and animals can only be seen from the air and we still do not understand their meaning. The Moche The culture of the Moche people, in the Moche Valley, thrived for 600 years from the start of the Common Era onwards. The Moche built the Pyramid of the Sun out of mud and straw (called adobe) in the middle of their valley over hundreds of years. This huge pyramid was the largest structure of its kind in Latin America. The Moche grew enough peppers, peanuts, potatoes and maize on their desert coastline to feed themselves and trade with other peoples inland. Moche artists were very skilled in making pottery, weaving and gold and silversmithing.

T his fragment of Paracas cloth (300-100 bce ) shows a cat god with a long tongue that ends in a human head. Decorating the Desert The Paracas (600-200 bce ), also from Peru, were influenced by the Chavín. The Paracas spoke Quechua, which is the second official language of modern-day Peru. From the human remains that have been found we know that these people knew how to perform complicated skull operations. They also made intricate embroideries and beautiful pottery. The Paracas decorated the desert with huge images drawn in the soil which can still be seen today.

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