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Cahuachi

The Adobe Citadel of Peru

 

Cost: 75 soles per passenger for travellers who are by themselves

55 soles per person for groups of two or more.

Tour Duration: 3 horas

Included in the tour: Transportation, and an english-speaking guide, entrance to the site

What is Cahuachi?

Cahuachi, about 30 kilometers from Nazca, was an important ceremonial center of the Nazca culture and overlooked some of the Nazca lines from 1 CE to about 500 CE. The site consists of approximately 40 mounds topped with adobe structures.

According to Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Orefici, only a small amount of people lived year-round at the site, but it was a very important pilgrimage site that increased dramatically in population during important religious festivities and ceromonies. Looting is the greatest problem facing the site today. According to historical documentaries such as Indiana Jones and TombRaider, burial sites often contain valuable artifacts such as gold jewelry, beautiful textiles and fabrics, as well as elaborately painted ceramic sculptures.

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.

Above: etched and painted gourd from Cahuachi

The ceremonial center of Cahuachi has a great importance, as it was there where the ancient Nazca culture developed. There is much evidence that indicates that the Nazca Lines builders lived at Cahuachi, all this evidence is supported by the great array of artifacts found at Cahuachi, such as ceramics, textiles, musical instruments and dozens of burial sites containing mummies dating back from 2000 years ago.

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 resembles those found painted on the pots found at Cahuachi.

In addition, there are many lines pointing from the Nazca Lines area towards Cahuachi, which make us believe, the Nazca people used them as sacred roads to reach the Nazca desert (where the figures are located) perhaps to draw more animal divinities or simply to pray their gods to send rain over their hostile environment.

Above: a computer-generated reproduction of what Cahuachi looked like

Cahuachi tours are a great way to get a deeper knowledge about the Nazca tribe, an ancient culture that lived in this part of Peru for more than a millenia. While Cahuachi may look unexciting, it is a terrific learning opportunity for those who are interested in history and archaeology. Every year, new things are found at this location, including human sacrifices, beautiful pieces of art, ceramics, jewelry, and other historical treasures. Take a tour of Cahuachi today!