Ritual Sacrifice In The Nazca Culture

Ritual sacrifice is a common element that has been found within many cultures around the globe. Two of these cultures are the Paracas and the Nazca, located on the coastal edge of the Andes along river valleys. These two cultures are believed to be linked to each other, inhabiting the same region and the Nazca culture following shortly after the Paracas culture.
Within the Paracas culture, images can be found of headhunters and decapitations to include possible auto-sacrifice and bloodletting on their textiles. In this culture, they believed in sending offerings with the recently departed so that the spirits and ancestors may favor the living with benevolence and fertility. This concept is called Ayni, offerings for bounty, or reciprocity. Found bundled with the deceased would be various offerings to include trophy heads and the textiles mentioned.
Trophy heads were preserved due to the arid desert environment in which the Paracas people lived, thus archaeologists were able to conclude that the majority of trophy heads were adult males.
The figure is considered a Shaman due to aspects including wearing a mask and having snakes coming out from the head in place of hair. A trophy head is located in a basket the shaman is carrying a trophy head to the right, and swinging another trophy head by a string on the left. What is believed to be a blow dart is carried in the right hand.
There are more of these figures to include a Shaman with a trophy head in a basket on the left and a tumi blade in the right hand. This textile’s evidence of the tumi blade shows what is perceived to be a copper blade, sharpened, used to cut through the flesh of the neck of the victim. Another shows a Shaman that appears to be starting his headhunting day, carrying spears to attack and hinder a victim, his tumi blade at the ready with his opposing