The regional society called Nasca (Nazca) flourished in the Nasca and Ica River valleys on the south coast of Peru from about 200 BCE until 700 CE. The Nasca were eventually superseded by the Wari (Huari) and then the Inka (Inca). "Nazca" and "Nasca" are commonly used interchangeably, but generally Nasca is used to refer to the period and culture that inhabited this area, while Nazca is used to describe the region, town, and river.

Huddie Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly (or Leadbelly), grew up working as a farmhand in Louisiana and Texas. His musical career began in 1901 when he toured Shreveport and Dallas as a six-string guitar player in saloons and dance halls. In his early 20s he learned the twelve-string guitar, and his talents earned him a reputation as "king" of this instrument.

Despite its marble-like appearance, serpentine is an easily carved mineral composed of magnesium silicate. Its coloration ranges from yellow, green, gray, brown, and black. Cultures since Paleolithic times have used serpentine for building and decoration.

The regional Moche culture was dominant on the north coast of Peru from the 1st to the 8th century. This culture, known by the name of a river on the north coast of Peru, was the first state in the Andes. At its peak, about 400 CE, the Moche realm occupied an area about 370 miles long and encompassed ten contiguous river valleys.

The ceramics of northern Peru are distinguished by their stirrup-shaped spouts, sculptural forms, and monochromatic gray-black color. The vessels associated with the Cupisnique culture often have a highly burnished surface. On one side of this handsome vessel, a reclining jaguar faces the viewer; on the other it turns to face its tail.

During the first millennium BCE, the Chavín art style achieved its fullest development at the site of Chavín de Huántar in the Peruvian northern highlands. The first sophisticated Andean goldwork was produced during the fluorescence of Chavín culture and bears its symbols, the most influential of which was the principal deity, the Staff God.