Nazca: History of the pyramids of Cahuachi 1. General report

Nazca: History of the pyramids of Cahuachi

1. General report

Proofs from since 4282 BC - the cultural phases - architecture and details - destruction of the religious site by earthquake and floods 350-400 - floods at the end of the first millennium - sealed ruins - blocked panorama

Map with Nasca and Cahuachi	Nasca-Cahuachi, the Great Pyramid with the pilgrim's courts
Archeologist Mr. Dr. Giuseppe Orefici in the Antonini Museum (Pyramid Museum) in Nazca, telling about Cahuachi	The fertile stripe provoked by  Nasca River - this river brings fresh mud every year like Nile does in Egypt, but this river is also a danger for huge floods about all 500 years. Perhaps there  was missing a protection wall?

from the booklet of Josue Lancho Rojas of Pyramid Museum Antonini at Nazca: "Cahuachi. El centro ceremonial en adobe más grande del mundo" ("Cahuachi. World wide biggest ceremonial center of mud bricks"); in commemoration of Dr. Giuseppe Orefici for his 25 years of archeologic work in Nazca

under auspices of Peruvian hotel chain Casa Andina

translated by Michael Palomino (2009)

Cahuachi

"World wide greatest ceremonial center of mud bricks"

Manner of work - Mr. Dr. Giuseppe Orefici

(p.6)



But in the past this was seen in another way - as a magic performance as if there was a supernaturally will of the goddess; and by this the Cahuachi region was seen as a holy land since 2500 years of course.

Without any doubt the systematic and interdisciplinary works of the Archeologic Research Center of pre-Columbian Times ("Centro de Investigaciones Arqueológicas Precolombinas") - presided by Dr. Giuseppe Orefici - can give a global impression of that what really meant Cahuachi.

There are only a few studies about Cahuachi with basic and consequent work, and which provoked more archaeological works,  for example by William D. Strong (1952-53) and Helaine Silverman (1984). But since 1984, since Dr. Giuseppe Orefici is working here with his Archeologic Research Center of pre-Columbian Times, it can be estimated what Cahuachi really meant - with systematic and interdisciplinary excavation activities.> (p.3)

[The periods of Cahuachi near Nazca]

(p.3)

(p.13)

:

[4282-400 BC: no indications, eventually strong contact to spacecrafts of the extraterrestrials]


- the place gets a holy significance
- the buildings are isolated
- walls of reed without any base
- the population lets dominate itself by the priest's community.

b) time of prosperity (100 BC-100 AD).
- the place becomes a ceremonial center
- erection of architectonic monumental buildings
- erection of the "Temple of Stairs" ("Templo del Escalonado")
- use of different conical mud bricks.

c) monumental phase (100-300 AD).
- the place becomes theocratic main town
- architecture is developing highest levels concerning constructions
- erection of the "Great Pyramid" ("Gran Pirámide") and of the "Great Temple" ("Gran Templo")
- use of mud bricks in forms of bread (p.4).

d) leaving times (300-400 AD).
- the town is going on being theocratic main town
- there are some changes
- other temples are integrated to life
- the base is filled with vegetable fillings (plectomorph technique)
- use of different types of mud bricks in an unsophisticated way
- and then came a big flood
- and then were times of crises
- and then the population began to leave the spot.

e) trial of restart (450-500 AD).
- the walls are destructed
- the trial of a restart fails
- the spot is turning into a big necropolis
- the spot is turning into a holy spot
- population is migrating up the valley> (p.5)

f) holy cults are performed in little centers, e.g. in the Temple of Stairs (p.11-13)

g) another big flood with mud] "at the end of the first millennium" [brings religious activity to a definite stop. (p.13)

[The climax of development of the religious center of Cahuachi - over 30 pyramid temples - pilgrims and prophecy]

². Until today there could be made out over 30 pyramid temples. At the same time there is the question how this religious center with it's big size had functioned. There is no doubt that this was the place with the most important religious presence of today's Peruvian South. That's why the thesis can be derived that Cahuachi turned into a big pilgrim center from time to time. There were thousands of pilgrims  who wanted to listen to the hundreds of local priests to their prophecies. To become a better idea of Cahuachi one could comprehend this place as a "pre-Spanish Vatican".> (p.7)

[The hypothesis that the Plains were a ceremonial center of the pyramids]

(p.7)

[Supplement: Hypothesis that the plain was a big calendar and after that was a ceremonial center - and there are elements of the flight paths of the spacecrafts of the extraterrestrials

First there was a big panorama from the pyramids to the plain ("Pampa") with it's lines. Then the mudslides interrupted the panorama, and this did not change until today. The Nazca lines are in connection with the pyramids because some lines are pointing directly to the pyramids. It's perfectly possible that the lines were a calendar, or when there were 30 pyramids, there are 30 calendars one upon the other. This would explain the chaos of lines in the plain.

The hypothesis of an open ceremonial center in the plains does not seem right - or there was first the calendar, and after the mudslides there were added new pictures for a ceremonial center. Add to this it's striking that the geoglyphs show elements of the flight paths of the spacecrafts of the extraterrestrials (helices and zig-zag lines). The case of the lines seems to be very complex].

[Pyramid's architecture of Cahuachi near Nazca: details]



Mud bricks: in conical form, big ones and small ones, with incisions or grooves; and there were mud bricks in form of bread in elliptic form, big ones and small ones.

Living areas and rooms: They were constructed in different sizes, with thick and high walls, in some cases with a height of 3 m and with 1 to 2 m thick walls. The roofs were made of reeds with beams of huarango trees, with columns and forked beams also of huarango.

Plaster and painting: In this case there was used fine clay. The colors of rose, dark red and glaring red are striking.

Platforms: There was often used the form of the hills for the construction of the platforms, and in other cases there were made steps and the steps were filled with vegetable material (plectomorph technique), and this was the base for the floors.

Stairs: There were no long stairs, and generally they were angular and not straight-line. The surface of the steps was protected by huarango wood to evade a wastage by the walking people.

Entrance doors: There were only some few entrance doors to control well the entrance to the temples.

Columns: The structure's base is a strong columns of huarango. At the top a wheel of reed is fixed (thin poles), and this was kept together by a vegetable netting which was laminated by clay from inside and from outside. By this the arch looked like one single column which could reach 3 or 4 m of height. In this way heavy roofs were supported, and they were decorated with splendid colored cornices.

Floors: There were made floors with dried clay and water, and in many cases there were given offerings in it, pottery in pieces or as a whole.> (p.8)

[The destruction of Cahuachi by earthquake and tremendous floods of mud between 350 and 400 by a mega niño - the shock in the population referring to their gods]

an earthquake followed by a tremendous flood) which happened between 350 and 400 AD.

These events must have had a horrible effect to the population of Nazca because also the roofs of the temples broke down by the weight of the water by the heavy and never ending rains by the historic mega niño. The floods destroyed the walls, platforms and the columns, and by this there remained only an unusable and grim landscape. By this the population was forced to a change referring to their habits and their intellectual world. Dr. Orefici says there was a big lack of understanding and unbelief referring to the gods: The population blamed the gods themselves of the destruction of the splendid temples which were dedicated to the gods.> (p.6)

[The destruction of the rests of the temples by the survivors - new sacrificial rituals]



a) destruction of the whole site
b) holy sacrificial rituals in a big stile
c) to put fire on the temple structures.> (p.6)

(p.7)

[Sealed ruins]



As a last action the survivors of Cahuachi were sealing all the remaining temple structures with a thick layer of clay; by this glamour and monumentality of Cahuachi should be a part of the past, and by  this the site was converted by their own population into a proverbial necropolis for all the time, but there were yet the following phases 5, 6 and 7 of Nasca with corresponding activities.> (p.7)

The sealed ruins of today look like a landscape of hills...

With the sealing of the temples there were put skulls as sacrifice ("cabezas-ofrenda") at the entrance doors as an act of magic religiosity. (p.11)

The cultural activities were performed at other pyramids aside, for example at the "Temple of Stairs" ("Templo del escalonado"), see the Temple of Stairs (pyramid with stair design, with column area). (p.11-13)

(p.8)

[Another huge flood and destruction "at the end of the first millennium" = 900 to 1100 AD]

flood catastrophe with mud and debris which affected the Nasca region at the end of the first millennium AD, and this was much worse than the catastrophe which had affected Cahuachi hundreds of years before.> (p.13)

[The new situation: The blocked panorama from the pyramids to the lines of Nasca by mud and debris avalanches]

[The sight from the pyramid zone to the Nasca valley: First there was a panorama here, and one could see the plain with all it's lines. But the river is dangerous: Since the big floods the sight is blocked by mud and debris avalanches. The river twice created a new riverbed, but the rests of the mud and debris avalanches stay and are blocking on the panorama on the lines, and perhaps there can be found more artifacts and rests in this line of hills...]


Antonini Pyramid Museum, Nasca
(Museo Antonini de las pirámides de Nasca)
Avenida La Cultura 600
Nasca
Tel. 0051-(0)56-523 100 / 523 444
cahuachi@terra.com.pe

Auspices of the booklet:
Casa Andina
Peruvian hotel chain
Bulevar Bolognesi 367, Nasca
Tel. 0051-(0)56-523 563
http://www.geschichteinchronologie.ch/am-S/peru/Nasca/Rojas_piramides-Cahuachi-01-report-ENGL.html