Seen from the sky, it forms amazing spirals: an intricate system of aqueducts built in southern Peru some 1700 years ago still waters the arid valleys of Nazca, also famous for their mysterious geoglyphs.
Built 450 km south of Lima, this thousand-year-old irrigation system, which we owe to the ancient Nazca civilization, consists of 42 aqueducts, 29 of which still carry water from aquifers and rivers cascading down from snow-capped mountains.
The spirals visible from the sky are actually “wells” up to 15 meters deep, which allow access to the underground galleries via a spiral ramp.
These wells have been used for production works to “maintain a consistent discharge regime,” according to a Ministry of Culture document from 2019, the date since the work has been on UNESCO’s indicative list for its World Heritage listing.
Photo by ERNESTO BENAVIDES / AFP
The underground galleries were built with stones and beams from huarango, an ancient tree native to the Peruvian coast. At its end, a tank allows water to be drawn off.
The system, also made up of surface channels, is still used to irrigate vegetable crops and fruit trees in one of the driest regions on earth.
This system “helps us irrigate all our fields,” assures Nicolas Quispe, a 39-year-old local farmer. Around 900 smallholder families in three valleys benefit from the system, which transports between 18 and 20 liters of water per second.
Photo by ERNESTO BENAVIDES / AFP
“Green”
“As you can see, the whole valley is green thanks to this hydraulic system,” Archaeologist Abdul Yalli of the Ministry of Culture told AFP during a visit to the structure.
“Without this system, a civilization like the Nazca culture would not have been possible,” he said, explaining that the region’s rivers are dry most of the year.
“It’s unique in all of South America,” says Johny Isla, who is responsible for this heritage in the same ministry.
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“It’s a work of art, architecture and engineering,” stresses Jorge Lopez-Doriga, communications director for Peruvian group AJE, which is helping local authorities develop the work.
The Nazca civilization would also be the origin of the mysterious giant figures representing animals, plants, fantastic beings and geometric figures only visible from the sky, discovered in the region just over half a century ago. The so-called Nazca Lines have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.
Photo by ERNESTO BENAVIDES / AFP