Beyond the San Pedro Cactus: Ancient Nasca Shamanism in Polychrome Ceramics

Summary

The ancient Nasca culture in present-day Peru (c. 1–750 CE) likely practiced a form of shamanism, as evidenced by polychrome ceramics depicting shaman figures and entheogens. Visual analysis indicates that these ceramics not only represent physical aspects of shamanic practice but also document the unseen experiences of shamans during trance and visions. The imagery suggests a deeper understanding of the phenomenology of shamanism, illustrating various methods for achieving visions and the activities involved in a shaman's journey.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Many scholars assume that the ancient Nasca practiced a form of shamanism on the south coast of present-day Peru (c. 1–750 CE). Typically, the identification of entheogens and shaman figures as subject matter in the vast corpus of Nasca polychrome ceramics supports those claims; however, visual analysis of the vessel forms and images reveals further evidence of a deeper understanding of shamanic practice. Some polychromes show that Nasca ceramists were concerned with documenting not only the physical nature of shamanic practice but also the unseen experiences of a shaman leading up to and during trance and visions.This article presents visual evidence from Nasca ceramic vessels, reiterated by other Nasca visual-material culture, to suggest that, in addition to showing the elements necessary to achieve trance as well as the shamans who did so, vessel imagery and forms provide a physical and lasting form in the “real” world for experiences seen and felt only by a few in the visionary realm. These characteristics indicate that artists sought to depict the experience of a shaman, including numerous methods to achieve visions and myriad activities of a shaman, the phenomenology and imagery of the visionary realm, and the phenomenology of a shaman’s journey, thus aiding an understanding of uniquely Nasca shamanism. Muchos expertos asumen que los antiguos nasca practicaban una forma de chamanismo en la costa sur del Perú actual (c. 1–750 EC). La identificación de enteógenos y figuras de chamanes como tema en el vasto corpus de cerámica policromada nasca tiende a apoyar esas afirmaciones; sin embargo, el análisis visual de las formas e imágenes de las vasijas revela evidencia adicional de una comprensión más profunda de la práctica chamánica. Algunas policromías muestran que los ceramistas nasca estaban preocupados por documentar no solo la naturaleza física de la práctica chamánica, sino también las experiencias invisibles del chamán antes y durante el trance y las visiones.Este artículo presenta evidencia visual de vasijas de cerámica nasca, reiteradas por otras culturas visuales-materiales nasca, para sugerir que, además de mostrar los elementos necesarios para lograr el trance, así como a los chamanes que lo hicieron, las imágenes y formas de vasijas proporcionan una forma física y duradera en el mundo “real” para experiencias vistas y sentidas por solo unos pocos en el reino visionario. Estas características indican que los artistas buscaban representar la experiencia del chamán, incluidos numerosos métodos para lograr visiones y una miríada de actividades del chamán, la fenomenología y las imágenes del reino visionario y la fenomenología del viaje del chamán, ayudando así a una comprensión del chamanismo nasca único.

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