C & C globetrotting around the world…

From Huacachina we headed further South towards Nazca. On the way, it was mainly desert, but we came across a few oases where rivers were. There were vineyards and plantations of corn, potatoes and oranges. The town of Nazca was the home of the archeological Nazca culture that flourished from 100 to 800 CE beside the dry southern coast of Peru. Nazca is most famous for the geoglyphs (most commonly known as the Nazca Lines) just outside town. Most lines and geoglyphs are visible from air only, but we were too cheap and chicken to take one of the tiny air planes. Instead, we went to the “Mirador”, a metallic tower from where 2 figurines can be seen: “the hands” and “the tree”.

Scholars believe the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca culture between 400 and 650 AD. The lines are shallow designs made in the ground by removing the reddish pebbles and uncovering the whitish/grayish ground beneath. Most of the lines are formed by a shallow trench with a depth of between 10cm and 15cm. Due to the dry, windless, and stable climate of the plateau and its isolation, for the most part the lines have been preserved. Extremely rare changes in weather may temporarily alter the general designs. Hundreds are simple lines or geometric shapes; more than seventy are zoomorphic designs of animals such as birds, fish, llamas, jaguar, monkey, or human figures. Other designs include phytomorphic shapes such as trees and flowers. The largest figures are over 200 metres across. Scholars differ in interpreting the purpose of the designs, but in general they ascribe religious significance to them. Other interpretations include the fact that the geometric figures could indicate the flow of water or be connected to rituals to summon water. The spiders, birds, and plants could be fertility symbols. Other possible explanations include irrigation schemes or giant astronomical calendars.

The next day, we walked all over town looking for a place with DirecTV that would transmit the Germany – Denmark game, but to no avail. To our pleasant surprise, we were able to watch the game at our hostel, together with a German-French couple. Afterwards we went together to the Chauchilla Cemetery to see some mummies. The cemetery was discovered in the 1920s, but had not been used since the 9th century AD. The cemetery includes many important burials over a period of 600 to 700 years. The start of the interments was in about 200 AD and it’s an important source of archaeology to Nazca culture. The cemetery has been extensively plundered. In 1997, the majority of the scattered bones and plundered pottery were restored to the tombs. The bodies are so remarkably preserved mainly due to the dry climate in the Peruvian Desert but the funeral rites were also a contributing factor. The bodies were clothed in embroidered cotton and then painted with a resin and kept in purposely built tombs made from mud bricks. The resin is thought to have kept out insects and slowed bacteria trying to feed on the bodies.

Afterwards we took an overnight bus ride from Nazca to Arequipa with Cruz del Sur again.