Nazca: History of the
pyramids of Cahuachi
2. The Great Pyramid
30 m high and 150 m large - 7 steps - ritual column hall -
plants and clay - eventually with connection to the "White Mountain"
("Cerro Blanco") - places and sacrifices
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)
[30 m high - 150 m large]
<In 1952 William D. Strong called the monument the "Great Pyramid",
and until now it is the monument which is Cahuachi's best, by
monumentality, by beauty, or by its form. The pyramid is at a central
place of the ceremonial site, has its height of about 30 m and its
width of 150 m.>
[7 levels]
<The pyramid has seven levels which are linked by stairs and ramps;
the upper three levels were for religious service of the priests and
the seers only.>
The Great Pyramid with its 7 levels, close up [3]
[Ritual hall of columns]
<The excavations under the leadership of Dr. Orefici show that there
were many columns on the stairs-like platforms which had roofs in
an artistical way. Under the protection of the roofs the priests
performed their ritual acts. The walls were (according to the phase) of
conical or bread-formed mud bricks and painted indifferent colors of
clay. Striking were above all the rosen color, or dark red, or glaring
red.>
[Construction with vegetable
blocks and clay - plectomorph technique]
<Something special is the construction of the floors of the temples
of Cahuachi because it was the task to construct horizontal floors at
the inclinated slopes. So, thousands of vegetable blocks were used, and
there was put layers of clay on them. This is the plectomorph
technique.>
[Great stairs and eventually altar
or holy table aligned to the "White Mountain" ("Cerro Blanco")]
<At the East side of the Great Pyramid in phase 4 of Cahuachi there
was installed a great stairs of mud bricks and clay. By this it was
possible to get directly to the upper parts where possibly existed an
altar or a holy table which was aligned to the "White Mountain" ("Cerro
Blanco"), the main apu (mountain god) of the Nasca population. At one
of the last excavations at this holy place there was detected just such
a stairs. It's worked of the same limestone as consist the surrounding
hills of the ceremonial center of Cahuachi. Eventually the stairs were
already constructed during the first phase of Cahuachi.>
Great Pyramid, stairs [4]
[Pilgrim's places - ceramics as
sacrifices]
<Around the Great Pyramid there are installed several places, and it
can be assumed that a lot of pilgrims were crowded there to listen and
to see the rites which were performed by the priests at the higher
levels. On the North Eastern side there was one of the most spectacular
and most important detections of the last few years: There were found
over 1000 pieces of ceramics which were the last sacrifice for this
place. After this the site was covered by 5 m of rubble, and then there
were built new structures on it.> (p.9)
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
The Great Pyramid of Cahuachi near Nazca, aerial photo of the title page of the booklet of Josue Lancho Rojas "Cahuachi. World wide greatest ceremonial center of mud bricks" ("Cahuachi. El centro ceremonial en adobe más grande del mundo") [1]
