Nazcas

The Nazcas, also known as Nasca, were a pre-Columbian culture and the people who inhabited the southern coast of Peru, centered in the Nazca and Palpa valleys in what is now the Ica Region. They are best known for their large-scale geoglyphs, polychrome pottery, and advanced hydraulic engineering.

Chronology and society: The Nazca flourished roughly from about 200 BCE to 600 CE. They built extensive irrigation systems, including puquios or underground canals, to support agriculture in an arid climate. Their settlements concentrated around ceremonial centers such as Cahuachi, which served as a major religious and political hub.

Art and technology: Nazca artisans produced distinctive polychrome pottery with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic motifs, textiles, and paintings on textiles. They are most famous for the Nazca Lines, a large network of geoglyphs laid out on the desert plain, depicting animals, plants, and geometric designs; the lines are best appreciated from the air.

Legacy: The Lines, together with the Palpa geoglyphs, were inscribed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa in 1994. The Nazca culture declined around the 6th century, likely due to drought and social changes, though its artistic motifs and engineering practices influenced later cultures on the Peruvian coast.