Ica / Nazca
Ica Useful Info
Language: Spanish
Temperature:
Time Zone: UTC-5 (UTC)
Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic 92.5%
Emergency #: 011 / 5114
Driving side: Drive on the right
Altitud: 406 msnm.
Temporada : La mejor época para visitar es entre abril y setiembre
Local History | Attractions |
Ica History
Ica has a rich history. The first settlers are from 10,000 years ago, from which the Wari, Nazca, Ica and Paracas cultures developed, the latter being the most important.
The Paracas culture developed from the seventh through the second century BC. It is distinguished by its matchless textile skills, trephinations, and the art of mummifying their dead.
The Nazca culture, on the contrary, well-known for its artistic pottery, in which colorful designs and representations excel over the form, the same as their famous lines and figures that have undergone implausible interpretations. This culture expanded from the second century BC through the seventh century AD. They have left us their wonderful aqueducts that made good use of underground water, of rivers and rain, showing a great knowledge of hydraulic engineering.
Ica Attractions
City of Ica.- Capital of the Ica Department. One of the most popular places to visit in Ica is La Huacachina. The famous desert oasis is located 5km from Ica. It is a small lake with medicinal water, lying in the middle of a spectacular sand desert.
Pisco.- Pisco the most important port in Ica and a litoral province. The most important attractions are Paracas Bay and the Paracas museum. Pisco was home of an ancient pre-Hispanic culture, Paracas, who are known for their exquisite textiles.
Nazca.- The Nazca culture flourished along the southern coast of Peru form around 200 BCE to 600 CE. This area is extremely dry. The Nazca developed extensice irrigation systems, including underground canals, that allowed them to farm the land. The Nazca are known for their beautiful textiles and pottery. Both featuree images of animals and mythological beings.
They are even more famous, however, for an extraordinary but puzzling set of creations known as the Nazca Lines. On a large, rock-strewn plain, the Nazca made huge drawings by scraping away stones to reveal the lighter soil underneath. The drawings depict various plants and animals, including a monkey, birds, and other creatures. These drawings are so huge, however, that they can be seen only from the sky. Scientists believe that the Nazca made these drawings for their gods.
Known for the Nazca Lines, which are geoglyphs and geometric line clearings in the Atacama desert, in the district of Nazca. The Nazca lines are attributed to the Ica-Nazca culture, which existed there between 200 BCE and 600 CE. The area of the Nazca lines is called the Pampa Colorada (red plain). From the air, the Nazca Lines show humans, animals, plants, lines and geometric shapes.
Cachiche.- A small village near Ica, Cachiche is well known for its history of witches. Doña Julia, Cachiche's first witch, was known to practice "good magic," curing and helping villagers with her spells. Near the entrance to the town, a carving from a single huarango tree depicts this first "bruja de Cachiche" (witch of Cachiche).
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