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Nazca Plateau &
The
Palpa Geoglyphs |
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Palpa Valley Nazca Ica
Peru
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Probably having taken its name
after the word palka, which means fork in
Quechua -the language of the Incas-, due to the
shape of the ravine where this oasis spreads
through, Palpa is a magic land strategically located
on the Peruvian central coast, South of Lima,
halfway between Ica and Nasca. The Province of
Palpa lies on the western slope of the Andes.
Consequently, the landscape looks rough, with narrow
ravines surrounded by chains of hills of
considerable height that, in East-West direction,
get lower as they approach the coast. A great part
of the surface is barren and desert, with the
exception of its five main valleys: Santa Cruz,
Grande, Palpa, Viscas and Tibillos. |
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Palpa Valley & The Palpa River |
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The Palpa River Valley In The Ica District
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Palpa
- The Archaeological Capital Of The
Rio Grande Watershed - chart of the
principal Palpa sites |
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The BIG Picture: Nazca Geoglyph Zone
Map - click an item to view that page » |
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Nazca Plateau Palpa Main Lines &
Symbols Chart - Click On An Item To View |
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According to recent archaeological studies the first
drawings were made in the Valleys of Palpa and Rio
Grande. It is said that 3000 years ago our ancestors
used the flat surface of the mountains and the slopes of
the hills to draw huge geometric figures and human
representations. Archaeologist today believe that the
figures were made to please ancient gods, who
apparently were believed to control the forces of
nature, such as; earthquakes, drought and floods.
Nowadays visitors may observe all these wonders of
the past, flying over the zone on our small aircrafts,
specially designed with large panoramic windows and good
comfort to take great pictures. |
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The southern Peruvian coastal desert
has been populated by sedentary groups at least since
the Formative Period (Initial Period, 1800-800 BC;
Paracas culture, 800-200 BC). In the Early Intermediate
Period (200 BC-600 AD), the region flourished under the
Nasca Culture. At the end of the Nasca Period the
extreme desertification led to a cultural decline. It
was not until the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1450
AD), in a phase of increasing pluviality, that the
regional population increased again. The Spanish
conquest (1532) brought Inca rule (from about 1400 AD)
in Peru to an end. Subsequently, the region formed part
of the Spanish colonial empire. Today, only few
Prehispanic traditions have survived. |
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 Continue Your Exploration |
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Showing Distance Between Palpa Area & Nasca
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Greater Palpa (Sacramento
& San Ignacio) and Upper Rio Grande
Archaeological Areas |
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Area
Relationship between Palpa (Sacramento) and Nazca
Geoglyph Areas |
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Palpa Valley - Los Molinos Lost
City |
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Palpa Valley |
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Palpa Valley's Pernil Alto site - a
very strange site - a lot of
complexity in a small space |
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Palpa Valley's Pernil Alto site |
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One of the unique anomalous features of
the Nazca region are large fields or zones of craters.
Were these the systematic works of countless generations
of looters, or the result of a mythical bombardment?
Certainly there is an orderliness to them, and to our
modern eye, very reminiscent of aerial bombardment
patterns. |
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Another curious feature of the Palpa region is not only
the crater fields found
in the Pisco Valley, but large round structures of
similar size.
It is possible these are excavations, however they
represent
a unique mystery in and of themselves.
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 For Your Information |
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Traveling To Peru?
We Recommend |
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MYSTERY PERU
Adventure Tour Operator
Ignacio Morsesky 126,
NAZCA PERU
Telephone: 0051-56-52-23-79
Mobile: 0051-56-969-11-55
Fax: 0051-56-52-23-79
E-mail:
info@mysteryperu.com
www.mysteryperu.com
Be sure to let us know about your trip?
nazca @
mcguinnesspublishing .
com
Do you
offer Peruvian travel and tour services? Tell us!
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Fine
Precolumbian Art -
We Suggest! |
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Do you
offer related products or services?
nazca
@ mcguinnesspublishing . com
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Image
Quality |
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A note about
image quality: images of lines and
symbols taken by air or from satellite
images are adjusted to improve contrast and
visibility of the artifact (line or symbol).
The results vary from image to image.
We apologize for the quality of some of the
images, but it is due to the original source
images, and the difficulty of
photographing subject object.
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