Canals and a Los Paredones
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There was a booth and a small fee to pay to get into the canals area. These irrigation canals were started about 2000 years ago by a pre-Inka culture located in the Nazca valley. They were well maintained throughout history and more than 30 of them today still serve the local farmers to wrest agricultural products from what would be desert without irrigation. Interestingly, our guide was among the early study group that actually entered these canals and crawled between the inspection-maintenance pits. They are apparently dug from the dirt and rock, but the ceiling is wood. He said that nowadays no one, outside of an emergency, goes back in there. My little tour group & guide.. |
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One of the spots where they would slide in and then inspect the underground portion of the canals. Claustrophobics need not apply. |
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The maintenance-inspection pit. There are a number of them around. |
The Los Paredones Ruin
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| About 1000 years after the Nazca valley culture had started to fade, the Incas arrived. The Los Paredones building complex was the administrative center for the irrigation canal region. The high quality walls construction reminded the Spanish of similar sites in Cuzco. Somewhere on the property that we did not have time to explore are steps that lead to a site where once a Sun temple stood. |
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Another private tour. This was not the high tourist season, so there were few visitors anywhere. |
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In front of the partially restored main building of this complex |
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Behind the main buildings in front, toward the hill, one can get an idea of the size of this complex |
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All in all, a short but interesting visit, well worth the time we spent there. It was getting late and we still wanted to visit the graves of the Chauchilla Cemetery.. |
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