Many readers will be able to empathise with the interest in becoming an archaeologist at one or another stage in their lives. For me it was the idea of digging in mud day after day and getting the visit the museum’s giant storage areas that has all the precious reserves. But of course, life took me down a different path and after four years at university studying to become a teacher I decided that I wasn’t ready to face the world of work yet, instead heading half way around the globe to South America. It was here, in the Incan rich and treasure riddled Peru that my passion was reignited. From the Scared Valleys and Machu Picchu in Cusco to the inexplicable Nazca lines that can only be seen from above, Peru holds a million secrets and stories that tourists flock to be told. But it was in the deserts of Nazca that a chance at sand boarding also allowed for a dream come true – a passing visit to an active archaeological dig!
We set out in the sand-buggy and were soon travelling at speed through the dust, dirt and oxidised iron sand of the desert limits. Our first stop was the aqueducts of Cantayoc, large water drainage spirals that were used by the Nazca people hundreds of years ago. The subtle construction is hidden among farmers’ fields but is a brilliant hydraulic engineering design, which takes advantage of slopes and natures own cleaning system. The complex design of the underground aqueducts and reservoirs allows the local population to access the water for drinking, washing, cooking, irrigation and religious ceremony. The aqueducts are still in use today after almost 2000 years.
The system works by allowing water to run through a system of underground canals, which protects the water source from contaminants such as the elements, humans and animals and the rocks purify the water naturally. Even before the Birth of Christ the people in this area of South America were practicing conservation and eco-friendly design! The systems run for hundreds of kilometers in places and are an incredible testament to engineering skill.
The group clambered back into the sand-buggy and were off again at a sickly speed. We stopped at the archaeological excavation works carried out in Cahuachi, a major ceremonial center of the Nazca civilization in Peru. The ancient city is virtually in the middle of the desert and since 1982 archaeologists and historians have been trying to uncover and save it from treasure hunters.
It is commonly believed that the city was occupied from between AD 1-500. The artifacts and remains found at Cahuachi include engraved gourds with nature-related and abstract designs, pre-Inca textiles and ceramics as well as the remains of a sacrificed child and pregnant woman. Many of which have been preserved in excellent conditions because of the arid conditions of the desert (like the Nazca Lines). Most of this information I picked up while watching the education video before taking our flight over the Nazca lines yesterday; which made the visit all the more interesting and relevant for me.
The archaeological complex covers an area of 24 square kilometers and within its territory exist huge pyramids, temples and platforms. Each one has been sculpted from the landscape itself and enhanced by massive mud brick adobe walls...Of course because the site is still active you can not get a close look, only peep from behind a protective mound. It was the burial grounds that we really were able to see the extent of the preservation of the bones and artifacts.
The ceremonial center of Cahuachi has a great importance, as it was there where the ancient Nazca culture developed. For much of its length the Nazca river runs underground, where it re-emerges the Nasca built their ceremonial capital. There is much evidence that indicates that the Nazca line builders lived at Cahuachi, possibly using them as sacred roads to reach the Nazca desert. So far, the pottery found in Cahuachi show shapes of humans beings, animals and bowls, depicting an amazing iconography, which prove clearly that all the figures etched on the Nazca desert come from the same people. The main archaeologist working at the site, Giuseppe Orefici is convinced that this mysterious place is the key to understanding the line builders, even though less than 2% of the site has been excavated.
An interesting and puzzling fact is that the pieces of Nazcan fabric that have been pulled from the pits are all from different periods of Nazcan history and all wrapped together. The textiles are richly decorated with images from Nazcan mythology and don't appear to be intended for everyday use, instead sacrificed as part of religious ceremony. Historians believe that the people of Cahuachi were rather special, a Nazca elite, or heads of the religious movement.
A common agreement is that 2,000 years ago Cahuachi would have seemed like an oasis. A river valley in the desert with fertile fields that grew enough food for everyone. The people were very strong and healthy people, with no evidence of warfare. The mummies show that the people were fairly short, with long black hair and most likely muscular from working very hard. But it seems that the city was finally overcome by nature and the people themselves. Between 300 and 350 A.D. there were two natural disasters; a great flood, noted in the excavations and an earthquake which split the temples in two. After this it seems that the Nazca people covered the city with mud, sand and adobe and left. Mysterious! Almost magical! Clearly it fascinated me!
We drove for about 3 minutes up the dirt and sand road until we came upon the burial ground for these Nazcan people. Although the site is regularly attacked by treasure hunters and grave robbers, excellent examples of the people and their crafts still remain. We were able to see the bones, skulls, femurs and pelvises being most obvious but also the cloth and rope that they were wrapped in. The hair is perfectly intact although no longer attached to the head of the owner. The site is incredible! Very humbling and it is hard to believe that we stopped at just one of the hundreds of mounds scattered around this area of the desert!
The guide lead us slowly back to the sand buggy as the group had fallen into a collective silence and meditative like state, but as we left the age old remains behind our minds turned back to the reason we were in the desert heat in the first place, to try some sand boarding….. although that story is for another time!
Currently, the only way to get to Nazca is by bus, as the airport only serves for flights over the lines. Lima is the closest city and the drive will take about 7 hours.
Source: Travel Lady Magazine