Category Great Civilizations

          The Nazcas were fond of not only wool weaving and embroidery, but also of painting plain cotton cloth with an array of colorful images and motifs. Nazca weavers employed an astonishing range of colours and shades to produce intricate and detailed designs.

          The Nazca people made some of the finest pottery and the designs used on them were unique and beautiful. They often depicted harvest scenes on their pottery. Also, animal figures seen in Nazca Line were also used as motifs.

          Looms, spindles, needles, cotton balls, and pots of dyes have all been excavated from Nazca settlements. Nazca metalworkers beat gold into thin sheets which were cut to create silhouettes. Masks were produced which were worn over the mouth and made the wearer appear to have a golden beard and whiskers. Full-face gold masks, hair plumes, and nose and forehead ornaments were also produced.

              The Nazca Civilization is one of the most splendid civilizations that can trace its origin, on the southern coast of Peru by the middle of the first millennium BC. They settled in the Nazca valley. The culture is noted for the geoglyphs made on the desert floor commonly known as Nazca lines. Nazca lines are earth drawings in the forms of animals and plants. They were made by removing the dark surface stones to expose the lighter ground below. Their exact purpose is disputed.

              The Nazca people were also masters of irrigation, and built a network of underground canals.

             Villages were the lifelines of the Nazca civilization. The houses of people were different according to their social class. The Nazca people enjoyed their social life and came together regularly for festivals. 

               The Zapotec was an advanced Mesoamerican civilization that was prominent before the arrival of the Europeans. There are evidences of the civilization at the ancient city of Monte Alban, which was once a popular city in Mesoamerica.

               The Zapotecs dominated much of the territory that today belongs to Oaxaca in Mexico.

               The Zapotec rulers were powerful, and seized control of many provinces outside the valley of Oaxaca, as none of these provinces could compete with them politically and militarily.

               The Zapotecs depended on rivers for their agriculture. They also used canal irrigation to provide water for crops away from the river.

               The Zapotecs developed a calendar and a writing system which is believed to be the first one in Mesoamerica. 

            The end of Wari Civilization is mysterious. The civilization began to deteriorate around 800 AD. Archeologists have determined that the city of Wari was dramatically abandoned by 1000 AD.

            It is believed that severe drought that lasted for centuries, made the Wari civilizations’ end. Even though written records are not available to prove this point, their architecture suggests that they did, indeed face a severe drought.

            The buildings in Wari had doorways that were deliberately blocked up, as if the Wari intended to return, someday when the rains returned. But by the time rain came, the Wari Civilization faded from history. Though they didn’t survive the test of time, the Wari Civilization contributed a great deal to the succeeding civilizations. 

            The Wari is an Andean civilization that flourished in Ancient Peru between AD 450 -1000.

            They left a significant influence on later civilizations like Nazca.

            They were an advanced civilization. The more militaristic Wari were also gifted agriculturalists. They constructed canals to irrigate terraced fields.

            They were good at art as well as architecture. They used distinctive decorative motifs on pottery. The main motif was the Doorway God, which was a figure often represented with a rectangular face and rayed headdress.

            It is believed that the people of Wari were the first to use terrace agriculture, which was later adapted and developed by the Incas. The Wari implemented a combined strategy of military might, economic benefits, and distinct artistic imagery to forge a civilization across ancient Peru. 

          From the floating fields called chinampas to the terrace crops grown, the Aztecs proved themselves to be much advanced as far as agriculture was concerned. The Aztecs mainly used four methods of agriculture.

          Prominent among them was agriculture using chinampas. Chinampas were often set up in lakes with the help of poles. The Aztecs overcame the lack of conventional farming land by chinampas. Each chinampa was framed by a group of up to fifteen people.

          The second form of agriculture was ‘rainfall cultivation’. The Aztecs also implemented terrace agriculture in hilly areas.

          In the valleys irrigation farming was used. Dams diverted water from natural springs to the fields. The Aztecs’ canal system was much effective. It was long enough to provide water to entire Aztec cultivations.