Unknown cultures of South America: Chinchorro and Paracas. Ica - Nazca - Paracas cultures

The Paracas Peninsula, located 200 km south of Lima, divides the coast of Peru into two approximately equal parts. Paracas culture was opened unexpectedly. This discovery was made precisely on this desert peninsula.

In 1925, an expedition led by Julio Cesar Tello began working here. Tello’s attention was drawn to the “cavernas” - mysterious ones that were visited from time to time local residents. Having begun to study the “cavernas,” Tello was shocked: it was not a chain of natural grottoes, as originally thought, but a whole system of underground chambers carved into the coastal rock at a depth of about eight meters. Each of the chambers was connected to the surface by a narrow exit. And in each such cell, dozens of people of both sexes and all ages lay in neat rows, wrapped in bright fabrics. The preservation of the fabrics was simply incredible - not only did they not decay, but they retained both the texture and the brightness of the colors.

What kind of people buried their dead on this desert peninsula? After Tello's death, this culture received the name Paracas culture. Today, the monuments of the Paracas culture are known in several versions. Some of them are found not on the coast, but in the mountain valleys of Central and Southern Peru. Numerous evidence proves that the Paracas culture developed directly from the Chavín de Huantara civilization, and this is especially clear from finds dating back to the most ancient period Paracas culture. The only difference was that here, on the southern coast of Peru, they lived more simply and did not build monumental temples.

A burial ground of another type of Paracas culture, discovered by Tello on the Paracas Peninsula, was called "Necropolis". It approximately dates back to the 3rd–4th centuries. BC. The mummies (their number exceeds 400) were in underground tombs made of stone and unbaked bricks. Above each tomb there was a courtyard with a fireplace, where bodies may have been mummified before burial.

In each of the tombs, archaeologists found a lot of various objects - in some cases their number reaches one and a half hundred. These are clothes, jewelry, weapons, stone axes, vessels, tools, jewelry, hats, capes made of llama wool and much more. Many mummies retained gold jewelry - they were inserted into the ears, nostrils, mouth, wrapped around the neck or lay on the chest.

The fabrics of the Paracas culture amaze not only with their size and exquisite combinations color range, but also because after one and a half thousand years they have not lost either their elasticity or the brightness of their colors. It seems that these fabrics have only recently left the hands of the weavers. They are woven from wool of five or six colors and painted with magnificent multi-colored patterns - stylized images of birds, animals, fish, anthropomorphic figures and strange monsters, as well as geometric patterns. The dyers of the Paracas culture were able to produce remarkable colors - especially blue, green, yellow and brown.

However, the mummies of the Paracas culture found by Tello deserve no less attention than the fabrics. When examining them, it was discovered that the vast majority of them had artificially deformed skulls, and many skulls bore traces of trepanation performed during their lifetime. Research has led to the conclusion that trepanned skulls are the result of a surgical intervention, apparently performed for some ritual and magical purposes. The holes in the skulls made during these religious rites were closed by Indian surgeons with gold plates.

The mummies of the Paracas culture gave scientists another riddle: where did they even come from? The fact is that in the vicinity of the Paracas Peninsula there are no traces of human settlements, and experts still do not know exactly where the dead were brought here from. Perhaps the Paracas necropolises were something like a “pantheon” - people who occupied the upper steps of the hierarchical ladder - priests and representatives of the clan nobility - were buried here?

It is believed that the Paracas culture became the main transmission link of civilizational impulses from to more later cultures lake basin - for example. Here, however, a problem arises: it turns out that the coastal Paracas culture lacks some features that are characteristic of both the Chavin and Tiwanaku. But how could this happen if we assume that it was the Paracas culture that served as a transmission link for them?

Everyone knows about the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas, but few have heard about the ancient South American cultures of the Chinchorro and Paracas. The former are known for the fact that they began to mummify the dead long before the Egyptians mastered this art, and the latter deliberately gave their skulls an elongated shape, making their heads look like an egg. "Around the World" tells the story of the Indians who lived on the continent before the Incas.

The oldest civilization of South America

The territory now occupied by Peru and Chile was previously inhabited by mysterious people Chinchorro, which we don't know much about. Archaeologists believe that this culture originated in the 8th millennium BC. e. , that is, the first discovered Chinchorro mummy is more than 9,000 years old. The find allowed scientists to conclude that these ancient inhabitants of South America learned to mummify their ancestors before the Egyptians began to do so.

Mummified body of a Chinchorro child

The first Chinchorro mummies were found in 1917, when German archaeologist Max Uhle began excavating ancient Indian settlements. Chinchorro dwellings were complexly arranged, oriented to the cardinal points, each house had a fireplace for cooking, as well as support pillars. The foundations of the dwellings were lined with stone. The first burial was found right within one of the houses: the body of a man, buried under the floor, was mummified naturally- the heat of the Atacama Desert and sea air did their job.

The first artificially mummified body found was the Shrimp Valley baby. According to archaeological analysis, the child was no more than six months old at the time of burial.

The Mystery of the Chinchorro Mummies

Why and how did the Chinchorros mummify the dead? The answer to the second question was given by anthropologists from the Chilean Museum of Archeology of Tarapaca Bernardo Arriaza and Marvin Allison in 1983. The procedure was carried out like this. They removed all the skin from the body and took out internal organs and brain. Then everything that remained was covered with clay and covered with leather again. If some pieces were missing to cover the body, animal skin was taken. To preserve the facial features of the deceased, they did special mask with holes for mouth and nostrils. It was necessary to preserve the genitals and then carefully recreate them from gray clay. As a finishing touch, a human hair wig was placed on the mummy. Later, the bodies were no longer dismembered, and the internal organs were removed through small incisions, which were then sewn up with threads made from human hair. The needles were made from cactus spines.

El Morro - the greatest find of archaeologists, the largest Chinchorro burial

But why the Chinchorro mummified absolutely all the dead is unknown. One version says that these people were nomadic, so they took all their ancestors with them, transporting them from place to place. Allegedly, the Chinchorro believed that the living and the dead have a certain spiritual unity, so the dead could protect the living from adversity in this world, and the latter could pray and protect their descendants in the next world.

However, the Chinchorros also had burials. One of the largest is the El Morro cemetery, where ninety-six carefully processed bodies were found.

The remains were buried along with household items that indicated what the person did while he was alive.

Historical value

Thanks to the mummies found, scientists were able to establish that the Chinchorro were primarily fishermen, which is why they suffered from deafness. They didn’t just catch fish from boats, but dived after them, as a result of which growths formed in their ears, leading to a similar “occupational” disease.

This people also had a very high infant mortality rate - most of the mummies found belonged to babies and very young children under the age of three. Chinchorro women gave birth as early as 10–12 years old, which is why they often suffered from bone problems. The average life expectancy of Indians was 25 years, which was quite a lot at that time.

Sand Rain People

Paracas is another ancient culture that existed in South America from approximately the mid-8th to the 1st century BC. e. Literally translated from the Quechua language, the name of the people meant “sand rain.” And this is not surprising: on the peninsula of the same name, the winds blow with such force that they often form sandstorms. IN Latin America similar weather phenomena are still called paracas.

In 1928, Peruvian archaeologist Julio Tello discovered a huge necropolis at Huari Kayan. There, forty mummies were found in small burial chambers. Presumably, one cell belonged to one family or noble clan. Each body was wrapped in several layers of precious thread embroidered and painted fabrics. Along with the bodies, remains of ceramic dishes, dried food, women's cosmetics, jewelry, and weapons were found. Scientists believe that the Indians put things in the graves of relatives because they believed that death was only a transition from the visible to the invisible world, and therefore the deceased would need household items.

Archaeological reconstruction: Paracas buried their ancestors in such cells

At the same time, the Indians also performed trepanation operations: they made a hole in the skull, which was then sealed with a gold plate. Anthropologists believe that in this way the Paracas tried to extend their lives. However, this is not the only experiment of the Indians who inhabited South America before the Incas.

"Egg-headed" culture

But still main mystery Paracas culture: why did they strive for an elongated skull shape? In 1949, archaeologists discovered bottle-shaped burials on the peninsula: each contained mummies tightly wrapped in cloth with elongated skulls. In total, three hundred such skulls were found then.

Deformed skull of a deceased paracas

The most popular version regarding the shape of the head of the Indians is the following: even in infancy, by tightly wrapping cloth around their heads, sandwiched by two wooden tires, the Indians tried to raise geniuses, because the head is “responsible” for logic and exact sciences. The Paracas probably believed that this way the brain also became larger. In particular, there is the skull of an “ancient Peruvian long-headed princess” who was sacrificed during her lifetime: her brain was three times larger than that of an ordinary person.

IN small museum On the island of Sol near Lake Titicaca there are drawings on display that explain in detail how to deform the skull. The procedure is brutal, but you won’t go to any lengths to become a genius. Archaeologists note that the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt had the same elongated skulls at a time when the country was in its heyday: the construction of the great pyramids was underway, new lands were conquered.

The Paracas culture did not last long, but people still use the inventions of the ancient Indians - irrigation systems and land reclamation. In 2014, an observatory that was more than 2,500 years old was found near the city of Chincha Alta.

Photo: Insights / Contributor (x3) / Getty Images, DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI (x2) / Contributor / Getty Images

Due to its important natural and historical-archaeological significance, the Peruvian government declared the territory of the peninsula and its waters in 1975 National Nature Reserve.

Photo gallery hasn't opened? Go to the site version.

Geography, relief

The low-lying coast of the Paracas Peninsula is a continuation of the Chilean (Spanish: Desierto de Atacam), the driest desert in the world. The coastal ridges of the Serra Colorado (Spanish: Cerra Colorado) are cut off by marine terraces, the height of the coastal plain varies from 300 to 700 m above sea level.

The relief of the peninsula is formed mainly by a salt desert, which formed on the site of an ancient ocean, dunes of reddish sand, as well as part of the ocean shelf. The cliffs surrounding the peninsula jut deep into the Pacific Ocean.

Climate

The climate of the desert Paracas Peninsula is subtropical - temperate, with an average annual temperature of +22°C. Here all year round The sun is shining, but the winds are constantly blowing, the average strength of which reaches 25 km/h.

origin of name

The word "Paracas" is of Indian-Spanish origin: "para" in Quechua means "rain", "aco" - "sand". Together we get “Paraco” - “sand rain”. The Spaniards added their usual ending “as” to the word.

The powerful winds are also called “Paracas” by locals.

In terms of meaning, everything is quite logical: the winds on the peninsula blow with such force (25 - 60 km/h) that air currents lift tons of sand upward, creating sandstorms.

Attractions

La Catedral (Spanish: La Catedral - “The Cathedral”) is a huge yellow rock of a bizarre shape, rising out of the water 50 m from the shore. Previously, it was connected to the coastal cliffs by a granite arch. Unfortunately, over time, the waves washed away the lintel and the arch collapsed.

The aquamarine-colored ocean waters are constantly raging at the foot of the cliff, and almost the entire water area is always covered with scallops of foam

national reserve

One of the main natural attractions of Peru is Paracas National Reserve(Spanish: Paracas National Reserve) is the largest protected area located in the west of the country, 15 km from the city of Pisco, 70 km. west of the city of Ica and 270 km. south of Lima. From the Peruvian capital to the reserve you can get by.

The reserve was founded on September 25, 1975 in order to preserve the unique marine ecosystem of the Antarctic, the characteristic formations of the coastal tropical desert and to protect the historical and cultural heritage of the peninsula. Cultural heritage Paracasa is associated with the ancient culture of the same name, which is evidenced by more than a hundred archaeological sites.

The national reserve occupies a land area of ​​more than 335 thousand hectares, including the southern Peruvian coast and the peninsula of the same name, and about 200 hectares of coastal waters with nearby rocky islands.

Ideas about national parks For many, it is associated with lush vegetation, however, “Paracas” is completely different. There used to be an ocean here, so practically nothing grows on the salty soil. The salt is covered with a layer of terracotta-burgundy sand on top. The gentle reddish dunes are very beautiful, creating a feeling of an unearthly landscape. The reserve has beautiful deserted beaches, however, due to the cold currents it is cold to swim here, so the beaches are almost always deserted, creating a feeling of complete solitude with nature.

In addition, the protected area is a refuge for many migratory species of animals.

Since the peninsula can be explored from land and sea, park staff offer tourists walking tours of the reserve by car, as well as by boat along the coast. Fans of extreme sports can go diving or snowboarding on the sand, or ride a buggy. And nature lovers have the opportunity to observe fur seal rookeries and huge bird colonies in close proximity.

Flora

Ground vegetable world The reserve mainly forms a kind of belt, which is called desert meadows, or “loma” (Spanish Loma; pl. Lomas). Lomas are "fog" vegetation in the middle of a lifeless desert salt marsh landscape, made possible by frequent fogs. More than 40% of the flora of the Paracas National Reserve is endemic.

Grows on saline soils Distichlys spicata(lat. Distichlis spicata), reeds predominate in freshwater lowlands, and on sands - Succulent halophyte(lat. Sesuvium portulacastrum). Higher up, in the foothills of Cerro Colorado, there are small areas with groups of Columnar cacti(lat. Neoraimondia arequipensis).

The underwater flora of the reserve is much more diverse than the terrestrial one. Due to the fact that the Paracas Peninsula is washed by cool Peruvian Current, the local waters are simply overflowing with plankton (only about 260 species of seaweed!), which feed fish, numerous mollusks and crustaceans, which in turn feed numerous sea animals and birds.

Fauna

The fauna of the Paracas National Reserve is extremely diverse. Washed by ocean waves, the peninsula is home to many rare species animals.

Among the inhabitants of the national reserve, birds predominate, of which there are more than 200 species. Typical representatives of the feathered fauna of Paracas Park include: Gray gull (lat. Larus modestus); Inca tern (lat. Larosterna inca); Black cutwater (lat. Rynchops nigra); Tules (lat. Pluvialis squatarola); Red-legged Cormorant(Phalacrocorax gaimardi); Bougainville Cormorant(lat. Phalacrocorax bougainvillea); Humboldt Penguin(lat. Spheniscus humboldti); Chilean flamingo(lat. Phoenicopterus chilensis), Andean condor (lat. Vultur gryphus) is the largest flying bird in the Western Hemisphere; American brown pelican(lat. Pelecanus occidentalis); And Peruvian pelican(Pelecanus thagus) is the smallest pelican in the world.

Large mammals live in the protected waters: Southern sea lion(lat. Otaria flavescens) with a powerful mane; South American fur seal(lat. Arctocephalus australis); common dolphin and the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis); Cat otter (lat. Lontra felina). The waters of the reserve are home to leatherback and green turtles, as well as many commercial and ornamental fish.

The Peruvian Current (or Humboldt Current) greatly influenced the world of marine invertebrates: in addition to the huge diversity of zooplankton, the waters of the peninsula are rich in octopuses, squids, mollusks and crustaceans.

Archaeological Museum. Near the entrance to the reserve there is an Archaeological Museum founded Julio Cesar Tello Rojas(Spanish Julio Cesar Tello Rojas, 1880 - 1947), Peruvian archaeologist, explorer ancient culture Paracasa. The rich museum exhibition introduces visitors to the ancient Peruvian civilization and unique nature this region.

Observatory. In 2014, a group of archaeologists led by Charles Stanisch discovered an ancient observatory near the city of Chincha Alta (Spanish: Chincha Alta; capital of the province of Chincha, department of Ica). 2500 years. It occupies an area of ​​40 km², representing straight lines of geoglyphs (more than 70) marked on the surface of the earth and 5 man-made hills surrounding them. The lines are directed to the point corresponding to the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere of the Earth.

Paracas culture

Paracas culture- an important archaeological culture that existed on the peninsula from approximately 750 to 100 AD. BC. The bearers of this culture mastered the art of irrigation and land reclamation.

Most of our knowledge of the Paracas civilization is based on archaeological excavations of a large seaside necropolis, which was discovered and explored in 1928 by the Peruvian archaeologist Julio Tello. Necropolis at Wari-Kayan(Kech. Wari Kayan) consisted of large quantity large underground burial chambers, each of which contained about 40 perfectly preserved mummies. Experts suggest that each of the chambers belonged to a separate family or clan and was used for many generations. Mummies are swaddled in several layers fabrics, decorated with rich ornaments. These textiles are some of the finest examples of pre-Columbian art. Today, most of the Paracas mummies are kept in the museum of the city of Ica (Spanish: Ica).

People of the Paracas culture (so, not knowing the self-name of the ancient people, they are called by toponym) were sure that death is only the transition of the soul from the visible world to the invisible world. They did not grieve, but rejoiced that another fellow tribesman ended up in the best of worlds. Therefore, archaeologists find in burials ceramic dishes, dried food, sets of cosmetics and jewelry (in women’s graves), weapons (in men’s graves) - that is, everything that a person needs during life, and therefore will need in the afterlife. Although death was always considered a blessing among the Peruvians, the ancient inhabitants of the Altiplano did not strive for it at all and tried in every possible way to delay its approach. Yes, this is the second name ancient tribe, predecessors of the Incas and modern Peruvians - mastered such an amazing method for those times as trepanation skulls. Moreover, the hole was “sealed” with gold foil. Whole fragments of such operations are depicted on ceramic vessels and stones of Ica; surgical instruments are even clearly visible in the drawings.

According to modern pathologists, people who underwent craniotomy lived for many years after the operation.

The Mochica left us brilliant examples of pottery, decorated with vibrant, complex patterns and realistic images of people and animals.

Presumably, the descendant of the Paracas culture is the culture.

Ica stones

The Paracas Peninsula is a place fraught with many mysteries and attracts the attention of researchers from all over the world. Scientists cannot come to a consensus regarding the mysterious "Ica stones", which are found everywhere in the Peruvian reserve. On stones whose sizes vary from walnut to a large watermelon, ancient masters made drawings depicting very real and fantastic scenes. Many of the images focus on interactions between humans and dinosaurs; on some you can see strange aircraft; Many stones are engraved with extremely accurate images of animals not native to South America, such as Australian kangaroos. There are stones that depict in detail internal human organs, the human heart and brain, as well as scenes that some experts interpret as organ transplants. Thus, this is nothing more than a clear confirmation of the presence of highly developed medicine in the Paracas culture.

A rich collection of stones was collected by Dr. Javier Cabrera (Spanish: Javier Cabrera; 1924-2001), who was a direct descendant of the Spanish conquistador, Don Jeronimo Luis de Cabrera y Toledo (cas. Jeronimo Luis de Cabrera y Toledo; 1528-1574), in 1563, who founded the city of Ica. Professor of Medicine Javier Cabrera founded in Ica private Museum stones, which contains more than 12 thousand exhibits.

Spectral analysis showed that these stones belong to the Mesozoic era, that is, their age is estimated at 230 million years.

According to Dr. Cabrera, the engravings on the Ica stones were made by some unusual “celestial race” of humanoids who lived during the era of dinosaurs. The stones depict 2 races of people: “alien” and “savages”, radically different from each other. If "Sky People" is like modern man, only with a very large head and a sharp nose, then the race of “savages” is depicted in the same way as we imagine ancient people.

The collection of mysterious stones now numbers more than 50 thousand copies, distributed throughout the world.

Cabrera believed that the “heavenly race” knew how to grow their own kind, that is, clone people. She was immortal until it happened global catastrophe, wiping out all life from the face of the earth.

The main mystery of the Paracas culture

In a vast necropolis located on the peninsula, in 1949, archaeologists discovered bottle-shaped graves dug in the sand, each containing sun-dried mummies with elongated skulls wrapped in thick cloth, known as the “Skulls of Paracas.” For example, a deceased person with a golden mask on his face, wrapped in expensive patterned fabrics, during his lifetime probably belonged to the elite. Simpler people divided one “bottle” between four and seven. Tello's discovery, which amazed the world, consists of more than 300 elongated skulls.

Since then, the global community of scientists has been trying to unravel the mystery of the “eggheads.” There was a lot of controversy about this find. A lot of versions and hypotheses have been put forward.

The most common version is this: the Paracas people knew how to not only operate on skulls, they deformed heads, giving them an elongated shape. For what purpose were such strange manipulations done with people? It took years to deform the skull; it was done on infants, and the painful procedure was unlikely to bring pleasure to the children. Since the area of ​​the upper part of the skull, “responsible” for logic and abilities in the exact sciences, most often increased, the Peruvian anthropologist Dr. Renato Davila Riquelmi(Spanish: Renato Davila Riquelme) believes that in this way the people of Paracas and Nazca cultivated “egg-headed” geniuses. Quite possibly, the same ones that left us the mysterious, incomprehensible to this day, giant “Nazca drawings”.

Riquelmi with his own hands reconstructed the appearance of the ancient Peruvian “long-headed” princess he found. The anthropologist suggested that the young princess was sacrificed - this version is confirmed by the mark on the skull from a blow from a stone. Before the fatal blow, the girl was probably given coca leaves or a San Pedro cactus to chew. Under the influence of narcotic substances, she did not feel pain, as evidenced by the serene expression that preserved the princess's pretty face. All decorated with gold, surrounded by luxury items, she went to last way with great honors, which indicate that her killers tried to appease the spirit of the volcano near which the burial is located. Presumably, during the life of the princess, the volcano emitted deadly fire-breathing lava, so people had to sacrifice the best of the tribe to it. The princess's brain volume turned out to be 3 times (!) larger than that of an ordinary person.

Finally, in order to resolve the disputes and establish the truth, geneticists from the University of Texas (USA) decided to conduct a DNA analysis of the mysterious skulls. Mr. Juan Navarro (Spanish: Juan Navarro Hierro), owner and director of the Paracas Historical Museum, which houses a collection of 35 elongated skulls, allowed samples from 3 skulls to be taken for genetic testing, which included hair, teeth, cranial bone and skin. As a result of in-depth research, it was revealed that the owners of these remains did not belong to any of the species living on Earth.

As is known, most cases of elongation of the skull are the result of its artificial deformation, which is achieved by tying the baby’s head between two wooden splints or tightening it with dense fabric. However, as a result of deformation of the skull, only its shape changes, while weight, volume and other characteristics remain unchanged.

The same cannot be said about the Paracas skulls: the elongated skulls are 25% larger and 60% heavier than normal human skulls, i.e. they could not be artificially deformed. They also contain only one parietal plate instead of 2. American biologist Brien Foerster, specialist in ancient people South America with elongated heads and the author of 8 books, commented on the results of genetic DNA analysis: “ It's about about mutated mitochondrial DNA, absent in humans and currently known animals... Perhaps we are dealing with a new creature, very far from “ homo sapiens"and Neanderthal."

Thus, the mystery of elongated skulls remains unsolved for humanity. But the conclusion of the scientists who analyzed the DNA of the Paracas Skull is clear: these are NOT PEOPLE.

Curious facts

• The family and social behavior of the Southern sea lion is curious. Mature males, having won a section of the coast in intense battles with rivals, begin to form their own harems. The strongest ones “seize” the most prestigious places in the center of the rookery, and the size of their harem reaches 18-20 females. The “average” male is usually content with 3 females.
• For many centuries, South American fur seals have been the subject of mass fishing. By the early 40s of the twentieth century, the number of these animals in Peru dropped to 40 individuals. Only a strict ban on the capture of mammals helped restore the endangered species. Currently, about 20 thousand fur seals live in the country.
• During excavations on the peninsula, the remains of a giant fossil penguin, 1.5 m tall, who lived here about 36 million years ago, which archaeologists called the “Lord of the Waters,” were discovered.
• There are several hotels in the Paracas National Reserve, but during the high season they are quite expensive, since these places are now very popular with tourists.
• Relatively recently, dolphins in Peru were hunted. Today, their catch is prohibited, but the animals often die when caught in fishing nets or in the propellers of ships. The number of animals is also declining due to ocean pollution.
• There is an opinion that the “Candelabra of Paracas” is the work of European pirates, who thus encrypted the hiding place of looted treasures. According to one legend, the geoglyph was created by order of the commander Jose de San Martin (Spanish: Jose Francisco de San Martín; 1778-1850), national hero, who headed the first government of Peru. In this case, the image is usually interpreted as a symbol of Freemasonry.
• In a small museum on the high-mountain Sun Island, drawings are exhibited demonstrating the technology of deforming the skull of children. This took years, and the painful procedure was unlikely to bring pleasure to the kids. But then the “eggheads” may have achieved what we now attribute to space aliens.
• Among the exhibits are examples of the Mochica culture, exhibited in a private archaeological Larco Herrera Museum(Spanish: Museo Arqueologico Rafael Larco Herrera) in Lima, there are those where sex scenes are depicted in great detail, acting characters in which... skeletons perform. This means that the Mochikas believed that in a “better world” there could not but be the best of earthly pleasures.
• Many Ica stones depict scenes of transplantation of the heart, brain and other organs, i.e. surgical operations, which in the 60s. of the last century (the beginning of the collection) the world's doctors had not yet done.
• Why " heavenly people“Did their aircraft descend exactly here, to the lifeless deserted coast of the Pacific Ocean? “Because the land here,” Dr. Cabrera is sure, “has a special magnetism.”
• The Egyptian pharaohs, representatives of the first ruling dynasties, which included the maximum flourishing of the civilization of Egypt, the construction of the largest pyramids and the famous Sphinx, had similar elongated skulls.

Paracas culture(Spanish) Paracas listen)) is an important archaeological culture that existed from approximately 750 to 100 BC. e. The bearers of the Paracas culture mastered the art of irrigation and land reclamation. The culture existed on the Paracas Peninsula, according to the modern administrative division - in the Paracas region of the Pisco province, Ica region, in Peru.
Much of our knowledge about the life of the Paracas culture is based on excavations of a large seaside necropolis, which was first explored by the Peruvian archaeologist Julio Tello in the 1920s. Necropolis in Wari Kayan (ket Wari Kayan) consisted of many large underground burial chambers, each containing an average of forty mummies. It is assumed that each chamber belonged to a different family or clan and was used for many generations. Each mummy was tied to its place with a rope and then wrapped in several layers of richly decorated fabric. These fabrics are renowned as some of the finest examples of pre-Columbian art. The descendant of the Paracas culture is presumably the Nazca culture. Paracas mummies are kept mainly in the museum of the city of Ica. Also known is the famous drawing “Candelabra”, located on one of the shores of the peninsula.

Nazca culture (Spanish) Nazca) - a civilization that existed in several valleys on the southern coast of Peru, on the Nazca plateau, from the 2nd century. BC e. to the 6th century n. e. The main city is Cahuachi, with six adobe pyramids. Presumably originated from the Paracas culture. The Nazca culture is credited with the creation of huge geoglyphs - the Nazca lines, but there is no consensus among scientists regarding the time of their creation. In our time, they were officially discovered during flights over the plateau in the first half of the 20th century. Thanks to the semi-desert climate, they have been preserved since ancient times. Nazca Lines, possibly similar in function to the figured mounds of the Indians North America, raise many questions for historians - who created them, when, why and how. In fact, it is impossible to see geoglyphs from the ground, so we can only assume that with the help of such patterns the ancient inhabitants of the valley communicated with the deity. In addition to the ritual, the astronomical significance of these lines cannot be ruled out. Scientists agree on the time when the lines were created - before the 12th century, when the Incas appeared in the valley. Most studies attribute their creation to the Nazca civilization, which inhabited the plateau until the 2nd century. n. e.

The lines themselves are applied to the surface in the form of furrows up to 135 centimeters wide and up to 40-50 centimeters deep, while white stripes - lines - form on the black rocky surface. The following fact is also noted: since the white surface is heated less than the black one, a difference in pressure and temperature is created, which leads to the fact that these lines do not suffer in sandstorms. In 1994, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The closest analogue, at a distance of about 30 km from Nazca, is the little-known Palpa plateau. It is slightly smaller in size, but has a significantly different relief. Most geoglyphs are located on flat tops, like artificially cut hills. Note that the surrounding hills are completely untouched.
Even less known and very similar are the geoglyphs of North America near the city of Blyth. There are, however, very few of them. There is also an “Andean candelabra” near the city of Pisco.

Ica culture (Spanish) Ica), known mainly from burials in graves lined with mud bricks and covered with reeds. They contained burial bales with mummies. The skulls of the deceased are severely deformed.
The Ica culture is genetically completely unrelated to the Nazca culture that preceded it. Apparently, at the turn of the 1st-2nd millennium AD, on the southern section of the costa (coast), a population change occurred. A number of similarities in archaeological material and data from written sources allow us to raise the question of the connection of these cultures with the creators of Pachacamac, possibly pushed to the south by the bearers of the Chancay culture. At the same time, the inhabitants of Ica retained a certain independence and acted as an independent association in negotiations with the Inca conquerors.

Paracas National Reserve is located 261 km south of Lima, 75 km from Ica and 22 km from the city of Pisco. This coastal ecological system, spread over an area of ​​335 thousand hectares, consists of deserts, beaches, islands, coastal cliffs and is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Paracas was the center of pre-Inca culture, famous for its textiles, products of local artisans, and the experience of healers in the field of medicine.

Some of the oldest human remains were found in the Paracas Nature Reserve (6500 BC). Of particular note is the ancient flute, which is considered the first musical instrument from Peru.

A trip on a large boat to the Ballestas Islands, where fur seals and lions, penguins, pelicans and other representatives of the Pacific Ocean live, will take about three hours and will not leave even the most experienced tourist indifferent. Please note that excursions usually start before 11:00, then the water surface becomes hazy and excursions are not conducted.

The trip itself is very pleasant and educational, especially for animal and bird lovers. Huge colonies of gannets and cormorants nest on the islands. Their droppings - "guano" - have been used to fertilize the soil since ancient times.

During this trip, from the sea side you will be able to see the famous mystical drawing a giant trident or, as it is also called, a “candelabra” on a sand dune, and during sunset - admire the pink flamingos in Paracas Bay. Don't forget that it is very easy to get sunburned during this excursion, so be sure to wear sunscreen and a hat.

Curious tourists are attracted by the ruins of the ancient Cantayoc aqueduct, 5 km east of Nazca. Interesting are the excavations of the ancient cemetery of Cahuachi, which is 17 km north of Nazca and, of course, the ruins of the Inca settlement of Tambo Colorado in the valley around the city of Pisco.

In addition, in the city of Ica it is good to catch a noisy celebration where wine flows like a river, traditional for local wineries. You should definitely try the national drink Pisco, a strong alcoholic drink made from Peruvian grapes. Among the local dishes, you must try Sopa seca, a soup with vermicelli, beef and poultry, Carapulcra, sun-dried potatoes mixed with pork, pepper, achiote (a spice that gives the red color) and ground mani nuts, Guiso de pallares verdes, green beans stewed in a spicy sauce, and Tejas, locally produced sweets filled with nuts, boiled condensed milk, prunes, bananas, strawberries, chirimoya.

You can take a break from the bustle of the city in Huacachina, an oasis 5 kilometers from the city of Ica.

How to get there

The easiest way to fly to the city of Ica is from Lima, which takes 1 hour. Accessible via the Pan American Highway from Lima in 3 hours; from Ica - 4 hours; from Nazca - 6 hours.