Nazca

Nazca is a Peruvian city located in the south-central region of Peru, capital of the homonymous province of Nazca, located on the right bank of the Aja River, a tributary of the Rio Grande. Located 439 km south of the city of Lima, in a narrow valley at 520 meters above sea level.

Nazca is a very active city, due to the affluence of tourists who visit daily the millenarian Lines of Nazca, and also by the development in mining, agricultural and commercial boom of the zone. It has an estimated population of 49 200 inhabitants by 2019.

TOURIST SITES OF NAZCA

Lineas de Nasca

Nazca Lines 25 km from the town of Nazca (15 minutes), at the height of 424 km of the Pan American Highway South. Huge network of lines , abstract designs and drawings of plants and animals attributed to theNazca culture covering an area of approximately 350 km2. Some of the best figures achieved are the hummingbird, dogs, monkeys, the chaucato, etc. The lines were not ‘discovered’ until spotted from above by aircraft in 1939. They are thought to have been drawn by the Nasca civilization (which reached its peak about 700 AD).

There have been numerous theories about why the lines were drawn, The German Maria Reiche spent 50 years studying and investigating the site and concluded that it was an astronomical calendar. The more eccentric Eric Von Daniken attributes them to visitors from another planet.

As many of the lines are orientated towards water sources, many people now suggest that they are likely to be processional routes designed to be walked upon as part of the ritual worship of water (a very important commodity in the desert).

The best way to see the lines is to take to the sky. Flights over the lines leave regularly throughout the day on small planes which take between 3 and 5 passengers. The flight should last from 30-40 minutes
The Nazca lines were declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1994.

Acueducto de Cantayoq

Located 4 km from the city of Nazca (15 minutes). were built in stone by “hydraulic engineers” of the Nazca Culture. It consists of a network of irrigation channels and underground aqueducts, which still function, watering local crop fields. These Aqueducts are really filtering galleries which can reach down to around 12 meters in depth. and that continues to operate until today. For its construction were used slabs of wood and trunks huarango which have stood the test of centuries.

Cahuachi

About 17 kms from Nazca (30 minutes). was a ceremonial, or perhaps an administrative center, where you can see two pyramids made out of adobe or mudbrick, as well as large plazas and cemeteries. It has a surface area of about 25 km². Most research indicates that this complex was the capital of the Nazca culture. In the vicinity of Cahuachi there is a set of lines made from wooden stakes of “huarango” (a typical tree in the area) which probably indicates the presence of tombs, corresponding to the later periods of Nazca. Most of these pyramids were abandoned during the centuries V and VI D.C.

Chauchilla Cementery

An impressive Inca cemetery located about 28 kilometers southeast of Nazca town. It is thought that these ruins were built about 1100 BC. Some researchers state that more than 400 tombs were built and that 1000 corpses are buried here. Nowadays you can visit 13 tombs, with mummies of both children and adults.all of this with textiles and ceramics of the period.

Planetarium Maria Reiche

You can see constellations, stars and planets and explained the relationship they had with the Nascas stars and their position in the southern hemisphere.