The Nazca (or Nasca) lived near the arid southern coast of Peru from 100 BCE to 800 CE. Take a look at the map below which shows the extent of Nazca civilization.

map from https://geopolicraticus.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/nazca-map.jpg

Early Nazca society was made up of local chiefdoms and regional centers of power centered around Cahuachi, a non-urban ceremonial site of earthwork mounds and plazas. These pyramid-like structures and plazas, situated in the  lower part of the Nazca Valley, served as important spaces for fertility and agricultural rituals. People from across the Nazca region most likely gathered in Cahuachi during specific times of the year to feast and make offerings.

Look at the photo below which shows the excavated ruins of Cahuachi today. The Nazca built this monumental complex, but people did not live there. This might seem unusual until you consider that the people of Medieval Europe did not live in their cathedrals. Think of some of the buildings and complexes  in Canada that we build but do not live in.

photo www.hoteloroviejo.net

The Nazca developed underground aqueducts, named puquios, to sustain cities and agriculture in this arid climate. Many of them still function today. They also created complex textiles and ceramics reflecting their agricultural and sacrificial traditions.

Below, you can see the surface openings of piquios in Peru today. How do you think that they functioned?

photo EFE Fotografía: EDH