Nazca
Also known as Nasca, Naska
Nazca (; sometimes spelled Nasca; possibly from ) is a city and system of valleys on the southern coast of Peru. The city of Nazca is the largest in the Nazca Province. The name is derived from the Nazca culture, which flourished in the area between 100 BC and AD 800. This culture was responsible for the Nazca Lines and the ceremonial city of Cahuachi. They also constructed additional underground aqueducts, named puquios, in a regional system that still functions today. The first puquios are believed to have been built by the preceding Paracas culture.
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Place details
- Locality
- Nasca
- Region
- Ica
- Country
- Perú
- Population
- 23,556
- Timezone
Travel guide
Understand
300px|thumbnail|Downtown Nazca 300px|thumbnail|The Nazca lines: the heron
Nasca is a Quechua word meaning "pain" or "suffering". The area was so-named because of the lack of water. The name became "Nazca" under the Spanish, but has now reverted to "Nasca" in official and common use. (The z-spelling is still most commonly used in English.)
Today's Nazca town is on the site of where the ancient Nazca civilization was based after the fall of its first capital, Cahuachi, around AD 400. It has an exotic, dusty, desert setting but holds little enchantment. It can provide between a few hours' and a few days' entertainment depending on one's interest in the ancient Nazca people.
Get around
Getting around in Nazca is easy. You can walk almost anywhere and a taxi inside of town really costs around S/3 although every taxi driver might try to charge you more.
There are no taxis nor mototaxis to catch near the city center. Some can be available near the bus terminal, or ask your hotel to call you one.
The big hassle in Nazca are the touts that hang out at the bus stations and on the streets. They represent shady or nonexistent hotels and travel agents, claim to work for your hotel or to offer cheap flights for viewing the Nazca lines. Ignore them and have your hotel pick you up from the bus station.
See
Museo Arqueologico Antonini, Av de la Cultura 606 (follow Jr Bolognese about 1 km east). Informative museum about the surrounding archeological sites. It also has a collection of pottery and textiles. In the garden there is a working aqueduct and a scale model of the lines. Entrance US$6. Nazca channels or puquios at Cantalloc The pre-Inca Nazca people developed a system of underground aqueducts to irrigate the dry lands that lacked surface water. Therefore despite the harsh desert climate, the Nazca region hosts fields of cotton, corn, beans, potatoes and fruit still watered by over 30 of these underground channels. Nearby are various geometric lines etched on the desert. There are also the Inca ruins of Paredones. Cemetery of Chauchilla For many years the Chauchilla Cemetery was looted by treasure hunters, who destroyed the place completely, taking away all the treasures the mummies kept in their tombs for centuries. Grave robbers just left behind the corpses, which can be seen today all over the ground. In addition to skulls and bones, visitors also can see several tombs centuries old, as well as long human hairs, ceramic fragments and others remains scattered on the desert surface. It is the only archeological site in Peru, in which ancient mummies are seen in their original graves, along with ancient artifacts, dating back to 1000 AD. This archaeological excursion is combined with the visit to a Nazca Ceramic workshop, where visitors will learn about the old technique of…
~8 min read
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Earthquake
- Geography
- Climate
- History
- Nazca lines
- Airport
- Notable people
- References
- External links
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Nazca is the capital of the Nazca Province located in the Ica District of the Ica Region of Peru.
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