The Decline of Cahuachi and the End of the Nasca Theocracy

Abstract

Following the natural events that led to the end of the ceremonial center, the influence of Cahuachi in the Río Nasca Valley greatly reduced, and the great temple structures were used mostly as large cemeteries. The theocracy that for centuries had ruled the political and social system of the Nasca society gradually turned into a mosaic of small towns with their own power over their territories based on the importance of local curacas . In parallel to the disintegration of the social organization system, the pressure of the Wari society from the Sierra also increased. Only one area for ceremonial purposes survived in zone B of Cahuachi, although with significant structural and functional changes during the last two hundred years of the Nasca Culture . Religion was still the most important element in the artistic expression of ceramics and textiles , although representations of the powerful local lords gradually replaced the image of the gods and the traditional symbols.