Nazca culture: Did you mean...?

Aerial photograph taken in 1953 CE by Maria Reiche (1903 - 1998 CE). Maria Reiche was a German-born Peruvian mathematician and archaeologist who is known for her research on the Nazca Lines in Peru. The photo shows a geoglyph of a monkey...

A Nazca geoglyph depicting a human figure. The designs and lines created on the desert floor of southern Peru are known collectively as the 'Nazca Lines' and were made over several centuries between 200 BCE and 500 CE. Their exact purpose...

A ceramic vessel in the form of a standing figure. Nazca, Peru, c. 100-300 CE. The figure has face paint as worn in Nazca harvest rituals. In his right hand he holds a jicama plant and in his left a cassava plant. (St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri...

A Nazca geoglyph depicting a cactus. The designs and lines created on the desert floor of southern Peru are known collectively as the 'Nazca Lines' and were made over several centuries between 200 BCE and 500 CE. Their exact purpose is not...

A geoglyph showing the Nazca Line Spider. The designs and lines created on the desert floor of southern Peru are known collectively as the 'Nazca Lines' and were made over several centuries between 200 BCE and 500 CE. Their exact purpose...

A Nazca poncho (200 BCE-500 CE) which illustrates the vibrant colours and bold linear patterns typical of Nazca textiles. (Lombards Museum)

Late Nazca vessel depicting a bird monster, from Nasca, Peru, 400-500. The subject is depicted in profile and there is a use of complex and repeated motifs. This artistic development preceded the decline of a discernible Nazca style, explained...

Bold designs on early Nazca vessels were naturalistic and representational, featuring motifs from land, sea, and air. Plants and animals are abundantly illustrated, most often on bottles and bowls. Figures are painted with simple outlines...

Battle scenes, warriors and trophy heads appear on later Nazca pottery. However, decapitation scenes are rare. This tall sculpted vase shows a man in the processes of decapitating a male warrior. The changes in iconography suggest that Nazca...

Bold designs on early Nazca vessels were naturalistic and representational, featuring motifs from land, sea, and air. Plants and animals were abundantly illustrated, most often on bottles and bowls. Figures are painted with simple outlines...