The Nazca culture developed in the valleys of the current department of Ica, south of Lima.  Its territories reached up to Chincha to the north and Arequipa to the south. In the 6^th century, they had contact with the Andean zone, and even reached some high areas of Ayacucho. This contact is very important to the formation of the Huari culture.

The Nazca culture outstands for its polychromed pottery, with animal, plant and men forms. They also worked with textiles and metals. Their economy was based on agriculture using hydraulic engineering to build aqueducts to solve the problem of the bristly ground.

The most impressive aspect about this culture are the geoglyphs engraved on the Jumana plains: gigantic shapes of animals, geometric designs and human beings made at an impressive scale and precision. They are currently known as the Nazca lines.

Though the reason or purpose of the lines are not known, there is a theory that states that they were a gigantic calendar made after their astronomic observations. According to the Yamagata university in Japan, the lines were the core of the ritualistic activity of the Nazca and other surrounding cultures. It has been discovered that the lines were made by more than one culture and in different moments of history. These engravings had an integrating purpose of the cultures that developed between the coast and mountains of Ica.

The city of Nazca was founded on November 28^th, 1548 and during the first republican years it was given the category of district.

Nazca is one of the provinces of the Ica department. It is located south of Peru and shares borders at the north with Ica and Palpa, at the east with Ayacucho, at the south with Arequipa and at the west with the Pacific Ocean. It has an area of 5,234.24 km² and a population of 58,780 inhabitants.

Nazca’s geography consists mainly of valleys and rivers; however, it is best known for its coastal desert crossed by the highway and where the Nazca lines are located.

The San Fernando National Reserve and the San Juan and San Nicolás bays are in Nazca.

Below, we will elaborate on the main attractions from Nazca:

• Nazca lines: the zone’s main attraction. The best way to see the lines is by taking a ride on a light aircraft from Nazca, Ica or Pisco. It is also possible to see some shapes from the viewpoints located along the highway.
• Cahuachi: a Nazca culture´s citadel and ceremonial center. There, we can see a set of pyramids and squares in a 24-kilometer area.
• Chauchilla cemetery: a pre-Incan necropolis. It is not defined whether it was from the Nazca or Huari culture, both developed between the 2^nd century BC and the 9^th century AD. Here, we can see remains of pottery, textiles and some mummies.
• Museo Municipal de Nazca (Municipal Museum of Nazca): located in the city’s main square, it displays pottery, textiles and tools from the Nazca culture.
• San Fernando National Reserve: located in Marcona. This place is home to one of the largest populations of Humboldt penguins, sea lions and guano birds. During the sea lion breeding season, we can also find the Andean condor that descends to eat placentas and dead sea lions. Luckily, we can also see Andean guanacos.

Nazca’s typical dish is the bofe. Made from beef innards. We can also find the patita con maní, and corn humitas and tamales. There are different restaurants with seafood and creole food options in the city.