Museo Maria Reiche

Nazca & Around


When Maria Reiche, the German mathematician and long-term researcher of the Nazca Lines, died in 1998, her house, which stands 5km north of the mirador (lookout) along Panamericana Sur, was made into a small museum. Though disappointingly scant on information, you can see where she lived, amid the clutter of her tools and obsessive sketches in addition to a tattooed mummy.

Though the sun can be punishing, it’s possible to walk here from the mirador in a sweaty hour or so, although the busy highway is not the safest place to walk. Alternatively a passing colectivo can sometimes take you (S2). To return to Nazca, just ask the guard to help you flag down any southbound bus or colectivo. A visit to the museum can also be arranged as part of a tour to the nearby mirador.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Nazca & Around attractions

1. Nazca Lines

2.68 MILES

Spread over 500 sq km (310 sq mi) of arid, rock-strewn plain in the Pampa Colorada (Red Plain), the Nazca Lines are one of the world's great…

2. Mirador

4.54 MILES

You’ll get only a sketchy idea of the Lines at this lookout on the Panamericana Sur 20km north of Nazca, which has an oblique view of three figures: the…

3. Palpa Lines

10.81 MILES

Like Nazca, Palpa is surrounded by perplexing geoglyphs, the so-called Palpa Lines, which are serially overshadowed by the more famous, but less abundant,…

4. Cahuachi

14.29 MILES

A dirt road travels 25km west from Nazca to Cahuachi, the most important known Nazca center, which is still undergoing excavation. It consists of several…

5. Nazca Planetarium

14.75 MILES

This small planetarium is in the DM Nazca Hotel and offers scripted evening lectures on the Lines with graphical displays on a domed projection screen…

6. Museo Didáctico Antonini

15.25 MILES

On the east side of town, this excellent archaeological museum has an aqueduct running through the back garden, as well as interesting reproductions of…

7. Paredones Ruins

15.58 MILES

The Paredones ruins, 2km southeast of town via Arica over the river, are not very well preserved (primarily because they were constructed from adobe…

8. Aqueductos de Cantalloc

16.28 MILES

About 4km southeast of town are the 30-plus underground Cantalloc Aqueducts, many of which are still in working order and are essential in irrigating the…