The Nazca Culture was discovered in the 1890's, when a German archaeologist named Max Uhle received an array of ceramics while working at the Anthropologisch-Ethnografische Museum in Dresden. Among the ceramics he received, there were many that came from South America, but among the vessels, some beautiful and colourful examples that drew his attention. The Nazca ceramics he had analyzed were so beautiful that he decided to travel to Peru in search of the exact place of origin of these ceramics. It was in 1901 that Max Uhle came to Peru, and after months of searching he arrived at the Valley of Ica at a place called Ocucaje, where he met some old farmers who knew about the ancient cemeteries where these colourful ceramics were frequently found. Uhle then made a series of excavations and discovered the Nazca ceramics at many archaeological sites, started to classify them and also made them known around the world.
'''The Ancient Nazca People'''
The Nazca culture had as its main capital the Ceremonial City of Cahuachi, an ancient pilgrimage center that is located some 28 kms southwest of the modern city of Nazca. According to archaeologists, the Nazca culture thrived between 500 BC and around 600 AD, and their cultural influence stretched from Canete in the north to Acari in the south, covering am area of almost 600 kms, with the Ceremonial Center of Cahuachi as its capital. It is believed that the Nazca people chose the lower section of the Nazca Valley to build Cahuachi due to the abundance of water coming from underground, a sort of natural springs that allowed them to irrigate their fields and produce essential crops for life.
The Nazca culture is credited with making the famous Nazca Lines, as the evidence abounds. Most of the animal figures and other designs that were etched onto the desert surface are repeatedly seen also on the pottery and textile iconography left behind under their necropolis and found around the desert and at the archaeological site of Cahuachi. Archaeologist also have discovered hundreds of pottery fragments that suggest the Nazca people gathered in the desert to carry out religious ceremonies and it is very likely that after a ceremony they smashed the pots as an offering to the gods, which they believed where above in the sky. The fragments found on the figures were mainly pieces of panpipes and whistles, which suggests that music, along with dances were involve in their religious ceremonies.
In the Nazca desert, the presence of over 300 hundreds figures and over 10,000 lines has been recorded, covering a huge area of 525 kms, according to archaeologists and scholars. Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Orefeci believes the Nazca people lived for over 800 years at the ceremonial centre of Cahuachi (500 BC ? 350 AD), and it began to decline due to certain natural disasters that took place around 350 AD. Dr. Giuseppe Orefeci says that during this time there were changes in the climate and El Nino caused a great flood that engulfed a big portion of the Nazca valley, including the ceremonial centre of the Nazca people Cahuachi. Orefeci says that after this natural disaster it is very likely that the Nazca people began to reconstruct their city, refusing to abandon it due to its great religious importance, but some years later the Nazca region was severely damaged by a huge earthquake that split their city in two. The evidence was found at various excavations that Giuseppe Orefeci had been carrying out during the last 20 years at the site. Many human bodies were found under the fallen walls, which proof that many people were killed and the city was utterly turned into ruins. It was around 400 AD that the Nazca people abandoned Cahuachi and moved out to the upper section of the valley, where the modern Nazca city lies today. It was at this time that the great under ground channels of the Nazca culture were built.
'''Nazca Channels or Puquios'''
In addition to the Nazca geoglyphs, as they are archaeologically called, it is also important to mention their great achievements in hydraulic engineering. The famous underground channels of Nazca, locally known as Puquios (a Quechua word to describe a natural spring), are one of the greatest legacy also left behind by the Nazca Culture, this unique underground system is unique in South America and perhaps in the whole world, as their construction are very intricate. The Nazca culture built over 50 underground channels in the Nazca region between the years 400 AD till around 500 AD, and many of them are still in use by the local communities in the Nazca Valley. Without doubt, one of the best preserve channels are those located at the zone of Cantalloc or CANTAYO, as it is also called. On this area visitors can see a series of blow holes shaped in a spiral form, which probably served to clean their inner part periodically, and also to restore them in case of tremors or earthquakes.
'''Nazca Ceramic'''
Long before the Nazca Lines were discovered, the Nazca Culture was already known by many, thanks to the colourful ceramics that were found at the many cemeteries located along the banks of the Nazca River. The peculiarity of these vessels is that they show in a very realistic way the ancient world of the Nazca men, showing mainly their everyday life, animals, plants, birds, and gods, stylized creatures, including zoomorphic and anthropomorphic designs that sometimes reach more than ten colours in just one vessel. The best examples of these Nazca ceramics can be seen today in museums in Lima, such as the Anthropological and Archaeological Museum in Lima, The Regional Museum of Ica, and many others in Peru and around the world.
'''Nazca Textiles'''
The Nazca people believed strongly in a life after death, this belief drew them to mummified their corpses and wrap them with finest textiles, which after 2000 years still today show, quality and colours, as if they were woven yesterday. In the Nazca times, like in many other pre-Inca civilizations the textiles seemed to have play an important role, in the case of Nazca, their textiles were made with fine art and also great skill, using cotton and fibre of Andean camels. The Nazca culture considered their textiles to be an important element within the society, and on special burials, the corpse had to be wrapping with these beautiful pieces of art with the aim of accompany the dead in the after life. The Nazca textiles were created with a high technological and intellectual point of view and were very sophisticated. At the archaeological site of Cahcuachi, Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Orefeci has uncovered many textiles in very good conditions, which are currently display at the Antonini Museum in Nazca.
'''Discovery of the Nazca Lines'''
The Nazca Lines were first spotted when one of the first Peruvian airlines called Faucette, started to fly from Lima to Arequipa in the 1920's. Pilots who flew over this area had noticed that between the valleys of Palpa and Nazca there were many lines crisscrossing the desert in all directions, this great news were shown at the local papers in Lima, and soon arose the interest of some people.
In 1926, the archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe came to Nazca , drawn by the reports of strange lines at the desert. He made some researches at the Nazca zone, getting simply to the conclusion that the Lines were part of ancient sacred roads. Xesspe never flew over the area, so he never got to see the figures on the desert, but only some straight lines.
It was not until 1939 that the American professor Paul Kosock, from Long Island University, discovered the Nazca Lines properly. Paul Kosock was drawn by reports of ancient irrigation systems located in the Nazca Valley (the Puquios or aqueducts), in Nazca he made some surveys of the Nazca channels recording at that time over 50 underground aqueducts still in used by the local communities. One day he was told that at the Nazca desert, there were also other ancient channels, even older of those he had already seen. Thus, he went to the Nazca desert, and found only long shallows furrows. He thought that perhaps these ancient channels were located very far away, so he hired one of the small airplanes the farmers used on those days to fumigate their fields in the Nazca valley. Once he took off and started to fly over the desert, he was amazed by hundreds of lines and geometrical forms lying down below. In one of his comments he said that he ordered the pilot to follow one particular line to see where it finished, but the surprise was even bigger when he suddenly found himself flying over a huge design of a bird. It was this way the Nazca Lines were discovered, some years later Paul Kosock would meet Maria Reiche who followed Kosock's investigations.
There are frequent collectivos to and from Ica. They leave when full, it takes 2 to 3 hours and cost 12 soles.
There are several direct overnight buses from Cuzco (14 hours) and Arequipa (9 hours). Delays can occur in the wet season. Prices vary between 60 and 170 soles.
There are also buses to Lima (Cruz del Sur buses go via Ica and Paracas) throughout the day, the journey takes about 6-8 hours.
Nazca is a small city that does not have a proper bus station. Most of the bus companies are situated on the northwest part of the city.
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Don't do business with these touts, because you run a ''very high risk'' of being robbed or ripped off. Upon arrival, go to the hotel you were planning to and don't let yourself be sidetracked to another place. But if you hear people on the street or at the bus stop offer the hotel you are planning to go to, better change your mind fast and choose another hotel ''yourself''.
The shady hotels and travel agents at the bus stop try to lure you with very cheap prices but once you get there, the cheap room is something you wouldn't keep your pet pig in and the other rooms are much more expensive. These hotels count on the fact that people are too tired to pick up their stuff again and go somewhere else, but rather be overcharged.
These touts always work together, so one will call upon the other to have him/her agree to whatever he just told you.
Sometimes a tout enters a hotel with tourists, telling them he owns the place and shows them a room and everything. This is not true, but the lesser hotels have to allow this in order to get some clients. That is where the ripping off takes place: the tourists pay the tout their $50 (or more) each for the flight, thinking they are buying at the hotel. The next day the guy doesn't show up. The hotel will claim they don't know the guy and that he lied to them and make faces but won't intervene. Whether the tourists go to the police or not does not make any difference. After the tourists have gone off to their next destination, the tout goes to the hotel and splits the loot with the real owners.
Most of these touts have no official license to operate, don't pay taxes, have cars that are not insured and even drive them without a valid driving license. They all have very 'official looking' badges. Keep in mind that in Lima there exists a small industry to make these kind of badges. For a few sols anyone can buy a badge with their picture on it, stating that he or she is .....(whatever: use your imagination and fill in the blank yourself!) If ever you want to be the manager of a big bank or an airline captain or an NASA astronaut this is where you get your ID. Don't be impressed by these badges. They are worthless.
Also the cheap flights are a constant rip-off. On whatever question you ask, they will tell you what you want to hear, but once the product is being delivered, the problems start. You will be rushed to the airport far earlier than they told you: "your reservation has changed." Keep in mind that very few airlines in Nazca work with a reservation list at all, much less with a time table. This is a ruse to throw you off balance. Before you know they make you pay $5 for your taxi and $5 more for your airport tax (which is really only just over $3!) Chances are that you get a flight that is far too short (less than 20 minutes!) or a center seat in a row of 3 seats, which means you won't get to see anything. You will be rushed in the hope that you won't notice that you will fly with some obscure airline and not with the trustworthy airline they promised you. If you do business in this environment, better take a parachute along!
The newest trick is to lure you to the airport with a flight of $30. Airport tax not included. Then you get a seat their for as long as you are willing to stay patient. As soon as all your patience is spent, they tell you that you have a special short flight to see only 4 figures, but they need 1(2,3,...) more passengers for that short flight and as yet there are none. You inquire about the short flight and a map is produced and everyone around you comes and testify that yes it is a short flight for 30 bucks, and no there are no other passengers to be found. You of course, are now supposed to say that you bargained for a normal flight and then they tell you that it is "no problem" if only you pay $20 or even $30 more. A refund? no, they will be very sorry but that will not be possible and if you start loosing your calm here, a policeman may be produced to intimidate you further. The short story is that there are no short flights of $30 and this is all a premeditated game to have you pay much more then you need to see the lines. Be careful whom you believe!
And some information: the airport tax in Nazca is exactly 20 soles ( NOT dollars!!!). Also for non-Peruvians, people of any color, high season, low season, flying high or low or long or short or whatever. This tax is shared with the two townships (Nazca and Vista Alegre) involved and should not be collected twice. Not even if a cop is produced to say you should. Somebody telling you that it is more then 20 soles is ripping you off!
The "earthquake tax" or obligatory contribution for the people hurt in the earthquake does not exist. It's just another rip off. Don't give anybody the $10 they try to get from you!
This may sound like one person had a very negative experience, but my husband and I had a negative experience as well as other tourists we met in Nazca. Word of advice: talk to some other tourists first to find out how much they paid for their flights before agreeing on a price for your flight. The cheapest I heard of was $50 per person for a 30-minute flight on a six-seater plane. Also, be ready to be very flexible with time. We were told we would be on a 7:15 flight and didn't end up flying til 11:00. Everything is negotiable in Peruvian tourism, so be sure to consult your guide books and other tourists to make sure you don't get ripped off on your flight. If you dislike the pressure of all these salesmen trying to get you to buy their tour, just grab a taxi to the airport. There are counters at the airport for each company that flies. You can go to each counter and see who gives you the best deal. Also, as an aside, be aware that those with motion sickness will get sick on this flight. I took dramamine, and it helped for about the first third of the flight, and then I started feeling pretty sick. Four of the five of us on the plane got motion sickness.
There are various travel agents in town. As warned above: ''having an office in Nazca does not make one a trustworthy travel agent!'' You are hereby warned.
Be very careful where you buy in Nazca, and '''never''' buy from people that '''address you on the street''' or await you at the '''bus stop.'''
In order to get a flight, you can either book it with an travel agency in advance (probably a good idea only on the high season from December to March), with any representative that can be found on bus stations and on the streets (although a little bit riskier since there are some scams) and finally you can go yourself to the airport and contact the flying companies directly (being this the best option from a budget-wise perspective). Either way, is highly recommended that you pay only after you took the flight and ask several companies to compare prices and services; since although everyone of them will claim that they are giving you the standard price, this might not be true. Keep in mind that all flights can start at anytime between 7 AM and 4 PM, so don't feel pressured to be in the morning or the choose the first company you cross with.
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There are several bars along Jr. Bolognesi.
There is a website of the "Union de Negociantes sinceros de Nazca" [http://unesina.org] (meaning the union of honest businesses in Nazca) that tells you where you should and shouldn't do business. They base their content on interviews with tourists while they are waiting to travel out of Nazca to their next destination.
Remember that if you work with people who don't have a legitimate business you also work with people who don't pay taxes and thus steal from the society they are living in. This is why they can be cheaper than honest businesses that act correctly. As a responsible traveller, it is your duty to pay taxes where due. As a responsible traveller of course you choose to pay your taxes where due in the country you visit. You only work with people who will give you a legal invoice (in Peru that is either a "boleto" or a "factura") with the name of the business and their VAT number printed on it, together with consecutive numbering on the face.
Heading to Ica takes 2.5 to 3 hours on various bus lines. Prices range from 7 soles (Cueva) and up per person.
The long trip to Cusco from Nasca can be broken up into three legs if you don_Lt mind being called "gringo" when hanging out in the intermidiary towns. Hourly colectivos ply the paved, but curvacious, road to Puquio where you will find 3 simple hostals near the main plaza (18 soles a night for doubles with bano privado). From there, buses head another 6 hours (40 soles) to Abancay. In Abancay, you will find that the Hotel Paraiso next to the bus terminal is your best bet. From there, Cusco is a 5 hour bus (20 soles) ride on an equally winding, but paved, road.