5/ Chincha
After the Wari cam the Chincha people, who were great sea farers. They traded copper, which they got at Lake Titicaca for gold and spondylus shell, a pink oyster like mollusc found only in the deep waters off of Ecuador. Their balsa wood rafts are what inspired Thor Heyerdahl to create his Kon Tiki, and these craft were seen by the first Spanish when they were exploring the coast of Peru in the early 16th century.
Chincha ceramics are somewhat similar to the earlier Wari, showing the use of more earth based colours, as compared to the much earlier Nazca.
The above photo, from the Paracas History Museum shows Chincha ceramic vessels as well as human female figurines which were placed in the ground at the time of agricultural planting as gifts to Mother Earth, as well as offerings to departed male family members so that they could find new wives in the after life!
