Our history in silhouette

South of the city of Ica, the plain of San Jose contains a series of mysterious zoomorphic figures dating from the 6th Century. Known as the "Nazca lines" they consist of furrows no more than 30 cms. deep that trace out almost 500 mtslong.

Studied by Max Uhle in 1901, Toribio Mejía Xespe in 1926 and in 1939 by Paul Kosok, who made them known to the rest of the world, they were preserved by Maria Reiche from 1940 to 1998. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994, these lines in the Nasca desert cannot be seen at ground level and can only be appreciated in all their splendour from the air, they show that the ancient inhabitants had a sophisticated knowledge of geometry.

Paracas National Reserve is 22 Km. south of the city of Pisco; it is a rich coastal ecosystem covering 335,00 hectares. The reserve is the home of parihuanas, pelicans, penguins, dolphins, seals and an infinity of fish and crustaceans.