Haciendas of Nasca Archaeological Project
Peru’s first archaeological project on the African diaspora.
PAHN.
In 2009, the Haciendas of Nasca Archaeological Project (PAHN) was established as the first archaeological project in Peru to focus on the material culture of the African-descendant population. It was designed to investigate the past of the haciendas of the region of Nasca and Palpa, making possible a connection between the academic public and the descendant communities.
Specifically, we investigate the history and archaeology of the former Jesuit vineyard haciendas of San Joseph de la Nasca (now the town of San José, District of El Ingenio) and San Francisco Xavier de la Nasca (now San Javier, District of Changuillo), and all of their former annexes in the region.
Until Peru’s abolition of slavery in 1854, the majority of the workers at these estates were enslaved Africans and their descendants.
Learn more about the descendant communities.
Visit our virtual exhibit “Naming the Enslaved: Nasca Hacienda Inventories”
Wine and Brandy.
The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) acquired their first properties in Nasca in 1619 in order to aid in the financial support of their schools in Cuzco, and Peru’s viceregal capital, Lima. In 1767, the Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish Empire and these vineyards were expropriated by the Crown.
San Joseph and San Xavier became major producers of wine and brandy (pisco) for the colony, and by the time of the Jesuit expulsion, they were the largest and most important vineyards in Peru. Together, the haciendas had an enslaved population of 584 individuals.
An hacienda was a lot like a small town, centered around an open plaza, flanked by a chapel, administrator’s quarters, workshops, warehouses, housing for the enslaved workers, and infirmaries.
These hacienda buildings were built with slave labor.
Be sure to watch our web series of short videos.
Learn more about the Jesuit chapels.
Designed to impress.
Today, the towns of San José and San Javier are notable for the ruins of large baroque chapels built at the former Jesuit estates between 1740-1745. These churches were designed to impress the enslaved population and dominate the hacienda landscape.
18th-century Jesuit chapel of the Hacienda San Joseph de la Nasca
18th-century Jesuit chapel of the Hacienda San Francisco Xavier de la Nasca
During the colonial period, the chapels were decorated with fine colonial art, and their saint statues were adorned with jewels, precious metals, and fine clothing. For the enslaved residents of the haciendas, Many of the chapels’ plaster friezes represented a confluence of European and African aesthetic traditions, and some figures make explicit reference to West African cosmovision and spirituality.
Detail of a frieze on exterior of the sacristy of the ruins of the 18th-century Jesuit chapel at San José.
Detail of a frieze inside the ruins of the 18th-century Jesuit chapel at San Javier.
The 18th-century statues of the Virgin and St. Joseph kept in the modern chapel by the community of San José.
A multidisciplinary approach to the past.
PAHN makes use of historical documents located in archives as well as archaeological data. We have excavated in agroindustrial contexts, domestic spaces, ceramic kilns, and at a brandy distillery. In addition to excavation, we also utilize historical aerial photos, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and geophysical techniques – among these, ground penetrating radar, magnetometry, and gradiometry, revealing buried walls and the alinement of buildings. In our artifact analysis, we take into account many lines of evidence, from sherds of discarded ceramic tableware to the plant and animal remains recovered from historical kitchen refuse.
Learn more about the PAHN research team.
Visit our virtual exhibit of 3D Artifact Models.
Understanding our past is the key to our future.