Nazca: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Archaeologists pieced together the story of the unique Nazca culture through its highly distinctive ceramics. These range from brightly colored and naturalistic early pottery (AD 200 to 500) to more stylized and sophisticated designs characterizing the late period (AD 500 to 700), and the later, simpler designs of the terminal period (AD 700 to 800), influenced by the conquering Wari people. Invaluable tools for unraveling Peru's ancient past, the ceramics depict everything from everyday plants and animals to fetishes and divinities; some even echo the Nazca Lines themselves. Many of the strikingly different Nazca ceramics can be seen in the local archaeological museum and at the Museo Regional de Ica, though the best collections are stashed away at museums in Lima.

Modern History

In 1901, the Peruvian archaeologist Max Uhle was the first to realize that the drifting desert sands hid remnants of a Nazca culture distinct from other coastal peoples. Of the thousands of ceramics that have since been uncovered, most were found by careless huaqueros (grave robbers) who plundered burial sites and sold off their finds to individuals and museums.

Endless theories about the origin and purpose of the Nazca Lines have been suggested throughout the 20th century. Maria Reiche (1903-98), a German mathematician, theorized that they were made by the Paracas and Nazca cultures between 900 BC and AD 600, with some additions by Wari settlers from the highlands in the 7th century. She also claimed that they were an astronomical calendar developed for agricultural purposes, and that they were mapped out through the use of sophisticated mathematics (and a long rope).

Later, English documentary-maker Tony Morrison hypothesized that the lines were walkways linking huacas (sites of ceremonial significance). A slightly more surreal suggestion from explorer Jim Woodman was that the Nazca people knew how to construct hot-air balloons and that they did, in fact, observe the lines from the air. Or, if you believe author George Von Breunig, the lines formed a giant running track! Furthermore, author Erich von Daniken was convinced that the lines were intended as extraterrestrial landing sites.

A more feasible theory, given the value of water in the sun-baked desert, was suggested by anthropologist Johann Reinhard, who believed that the lines were involved in mountain worship and a fertility/water cult. Recent work by the Swiss-Liechtenstein Foundation agrees that they were dedicated to the worship of water.

Since 1997, a Canadian gold mining operation has been located at Nazca, and many indigenous Peruvians without land title have been displaced. Over the last decade, there have been attempts to legalize ownership of land for these people.

Recent History

The ancient Nazca culture constructed an impressive system of underground aqueducts that still function today. Recently, the city received money to turn its canals into tourist attractions. The process, however, meant that some of the access points to the canals would have been destroyed and replaced with more 'ancient-looking' replicas. Then-president Alejandro Toledo stopped the aid to prevent this.

Nazca has also recently been under fire for dumping its trash on the pampa and destroying parts of the Nazca Lines as a result.

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