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Pelicans on the Ballestas Islands, near Paracas. |
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The bleak coast of southern Peru and the apparently barren desert sandwiched between the sea and the Andes mountains hold surprises. The cold ocean is rich with life and the Paracas area is a haven for birds and sea lions. And the desert holds enigmatic remains of pre-Inca cultures whose
burial sites lay forgotten under the arid land for centuries before being discovered by archaeologists and grave robbers. Most remarkably, these people left the perplexing Nazca Lines that they drew into the desert surface for reasons we may never know... |
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Lost to the desert
The pre-Inca Paracas culture developed along this stretch of the Peru coastal plain in the last centuries BC. It was succeeded by the Nazca culture that flourished until around 600 AD. Gradually, most evidence of the existence of these peoples was lost to the desert. But
although their adobe buildings have crumbled, the dry ground has preserved some of their buried mortal remains. Many Paracas and Nazca graves have now been discovered and plundered by grave robbers. |
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Nazca remains lie exposed in the Chauchilla cemetery. |
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A mummified trophy head from the region, possibly collected after a battle. The mouth is pinned shut. |
A body wrapped in a textile funerary bundle. Photographed in the Museo Regional de Ica. |
Skulls, bones and bodies, some preserved by natural mummification in the dry climate, have been left exposed to the desert sun. Many bodies, particularly those in Paracas burial sites, were wrapped in magnificent embroidered textiles that fueled the greed of the robbers.
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Bizarre skulls
Paracas graves have revealed some strange practices. On the left is a Paracas skull deformed by binding the growing head of an infant. The resulting domed head was considered beautiful. On the right is a skull with a hole made by a primitive, but apparently often survivable,
surgical technique called trepanation. Photographed in the Museo Regional de Ica. |
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Nazca ceramics
Pottery became a major Nazca art form. Numerous beautiful Nazca ceramics have been recovered by archaeologists and grave robbers. Many feature multi-colored abstract designs of animals, birds and bizarre mythical creatures. |
Nazca ceramics. Photographed in the Museo de la Nación in Lima, and the Museo Regional de Ica. |
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The mysterious Nazca Lines
The Nazca people left behind one of the most astonishing legacies of the old cultures of Peru - the Nazca Lines. An elevated plateau called the Nazca Pampa is covered by these mysterious markings. From the air we can wonder at a multitude of long straight lines, geometric shapes
and outlines of animals and birds that have been marked into the dry, stony ground.
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A hummingbird about 100 meters across drawn on the Nazca Pampa of Peru. Like the many other animal motifs, it is drawn in a single, continuous line and can only be seen properly from the air. |
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A figure etched into a Nazca hillside as seen from the air. |
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Most markings were made by removing the top layer of dark stones from the ground. The longest straight lines run for several kilometers while most of the animal drawings are around 100 - 200 meters across. Why these designs were made is an enduring mystery, particularly since
they can only been seen properly from the air. |
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Wildlife of Paracas and the Ballestas Islands
Despite the barren landscapes of this area of Peru, the coast of the Paracas Peninsula and the nearby Ballestas Islands are havens for marine life. The Ballestas Islands are alive with noisy colonies of sea lions and huge numbers of birds that are sustained by the food-rich waters of this
stretch of the Pacific
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Flamingoes take flight on the Paracas Peninsula. |
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A sea lion poses on the Ballestas Islands. |
Humboldt penguins on the Ballestas Islands - a surprise since Peru lies in the tropics. |
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