[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]
<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]
<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]
