5 CULTURAL MANIFESTATIONS OF THE PARACAS CULTURE - HISTORY - 2025

The most outstanding cultural manifestations of the Paracas culture are its textiles, ceramics, crafts, funeral rites and cranial deformations.

This culture (approximately between 900 BC and 400 AD) developed in the peninsula of the same name, located in the south of present-day Peru, near Ica.

The Paracas culture is one of the first known complex societies in South America. Its name comes from the Quechua word para-ako which means "sand falling like rain."

During the 1920s, some archaeologists discovered the great necropolis of Paracas, on the southern Pacific coast of the central Andes.

The 5 main cultural manifestations of the Paracas culture

1- Textiles

One of the most significant cultural manifestations of the Paracas culture is its textiles. These have surprised scholars of textile art.

It is estimated that tens of meters of fabric and up to tens of thousands of hours of work could have been used in its elaboration. Textiles were valued as a means of sharing wisdom and religious beliefs.

Almost all Paracas textiles display two styles of embroidery: linear and color block.

In the linear style only four colors were used. These were decorated on top of a basic cloth, woven by embroidered straight lines, and by embroidered sashes that go around the edges of the cloth. His typical motifs were felines, birds, snakes, and a large-eyed figure.

The second style involved a controlled composition of well-curved pictorial motifs, outlined by characteristic edges.

2- Ceramics

Besides textiles, ceramics are another of the great cultural manifestations of the Paracas culture. In the ceramics of the early stages, a powerful influence of the Chavin culture can be detected.

After a relatively short time, themes related to the surrounding maritime nature were imposed as ornamental motifs.

Regarding its design, Paracas ceramic was black. The vessels were ovoid in shape, with two short tubular spikes joined by a bridge handle.

These pots were decorated after firing, using resin-based colors. Other types of ceramics have been found in the tombs of Paracas, but it is presumed that they were imported.

3- Crafts

In addition to ceramics, the Paracas had exceptional craftsmanship.

Among the objects produced are exquisitely crafted stone sticks, obsidian knives used as scalpels, bottles made from gourd shells, rattles, shell and bone necklaces, gold hammered hair ornaments, feather fans, and basketry.

4- Funeral rites

The discovery of the great necropolis of Paracas provided significant data regarding the funerary rites of this culture.

It is a large communal burial site with 420 bodies, dating from around 300 to 200 years BC.

In these ancient cemeteries, the mummified dead were wrapped in layers of cloth and clothing.

The largest and richest contained hundreds of glittering embroidered fabrics, feather costumes, and fine jewelry, interspersed with food offerings such as beans.

5- Cranial deformations

The Paracas used methods to alter the shape of the skull, lengthening it while the person was alive. The purpose of this was to connote social status.

They also practiced a crude form of brain surgery called trepanation. The doctors of this culture believed that the blood of the head had healing properties.

They surgically drilled holes in the skull to treat physical trauma and, apparently, psychological disorders.

In that sense, the formation of scar tissue indicates that many of the patients actually survived the operations. However, it is not possible to know how they were affected by physical or behavioral problems.

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