Day 2 in Ica: Nazca by Madeline L.

UA Delegate to Peru, Madeline L., shares her experiences and what she learned on our weekend excursion to Nazca and Ica, Peru:

Today, we drove through many valleys with small towns on our way to Nazca. The first was a valley called the Rio Grande. This specific area doesn't get a lot of rain, but the river supplies enough water for the whole town all year. We pulled off the side of the road to look at a rock in the shape of a face. The people in the town believe that the face in the rock is the guardian of the town. 

UA Delegates and the Face of the Rio Grande Valley
And no, they are not already back in Texas.

Another valley town was named Palpa which means fork because there is a fork in the river near the center of town. This town is known for its gold and copper mining. This is where our guide Raul showed us a cactus bug called cochinilla, which is referred to as “red gold” in English. This insect’s blood was originally used for painting and clothing dyes. Today, it is used to make the red color in cosmetics such as lip stick. Because it is used for makeup color, it is very valuable - one kilogram is worth $400!

The top shows the bugs in their natural state and
the bottom shows the red color used in cosmetics after the bugs are crushed.

Our first stop in Nazca was the Museo Arqueologico Antonini where we learned about the Nazca people and of course, the Nazca lines. We learned about the three different types of pots for parties, rituals, and offerings and also the history of the trophy heads, which is a skull with a hole and string through it. A very interesting topic is the influence of Asian people and culture in the pottery. It is believed that the Nazca people were exposed to people of other cultures because distinctive, typical characteristics such as Asian eyes and beards show up on their painted pots. As further evidence, pumpkins are originally from Asia and many were found in tombs painted with the same designs as the Nazca pottery. The pumpkins were hollowed out and probably used to carry water and other food or drinks.

An ancient circular aquaduct

After visiting a site of ancient aqueducts, we went to a family's house where they make replicas of original Nazca pottery using original Nazca tools found in the desert by the patriarch 40 years ago. The son, Tobi, took us through the steps of how the Nazca people produced their ceramics. These are the same techniques that he and his family use today to produce the replicas.

Toby proudly carries on the family tradition of making Nazca pottery

Now onto the mysterious Nazca lines! The suspected date in which they were made is 200 AD because the same designs were painted on pottery during that time period. The lines occupy a total of 500 square kilometers and include straight lines and different figures such as birds, monkeys, spiders, trees, etc. They were not officially discovered until 1927. There are many theories about how they were formed. Native people thought the lines were some sort of worship to the gods but they never saw the actual overall figures before 1927 (because they did not have flight which is the only way to see the entire drawings). Because Nanazca means “the town made for suffering” in Quechua, many believe the name is referring to the lack of water. Thus, the lines were gifts to the gods to bless the town with water. Another theory is that the lines were left by aliens, which also might be why Peru has the most reported UFO sightings in the world.

A German scientist named Maria Reiche dedicated her life to studying the Nazca lines. Although her work is much respected now, people in the town of Nazca once called her “la gringa loca” because she was always in the desert walking alone next to the lines. She did gain some respect near the end of her life as well.

We went to the top of a tall tower to see these Nazca lines - 2 hands in the desert!

There are three main reasons why the Nazca lines are still preserved. First, the lines are located on flat land surrounded by mountains. So, when harsh sand winds blow over the mountains, the mountains stop the sand. The wind then cleans the lines by blowing away any debris. Secondly, at night during the winters, light rain is not uncommon in the desert which wets the ground slightly turning the soil into clay and keeping the rocks in place. Lastly, during summer, the harsh heat vaporizes the moisture in the ground and the wind sort of bounces off the vapor. This means the strong winds of summer actually never touch the ground.

Our group at the Nazca Lines

We ended our day back to Ica for dinner at Roky's Roasted Chicken. It was a delightful, needed meal and Katherine felt the need to finish everyone's unfinished chocolate cake. It was a sweet ending to a mysterious and intellectual day where we learned a lot and laughed a lot as well!