Marek There was a time in the media about the commercialization of Peruvian monuments. Unfortunately, I myself contributed to one of the articles on this subject. Today I look at it differently. All over the world, monuments are commercial. They bring funds to keep them in good condition. They also bring income to not very poor residents. Here, the thing is that money is only given to those who organize trips and flights over the plateau where you can see the famous “Nazca Drawings”.
The local residents, newcomers from the surrounding mountains, live in extreme poverty. The only thing that nature has not spared them is water. Nature and their ancestors, who built magnificent underground aqueducts here. Built of wood and stones not joined by any binder. They bring water from the mountains and have been doing it for hundreds of years just as effectively. You can use numerous wells, which even allow you to enter the aqueduct and go through it to other openings built of flat stones. Just remember that the water flows very quickly here. You can pay for a trip with your life.
Apart from water, the inhabitants of the area do not have much. Therefore, the place where they built their poor cottages is of particular value to them. Well, centuries ago, the inhabitants of the Nazca Culture buried their dead here. You don’t have to dig deep to find a mummy, or even a piece of it. Thanks to this, Indians can earn a living by showing tourists what they have dug up in their home garden. They proudly invite you to modest shelters, where you can see the remains of their distant ancestors. Some of the residents cooperate with travel agencies, others show their homes for the proverbial “what you want”.
The mummies arranged in cardboard boxes make a depressing impression. Here and there you can see single skulls, tibia, and other bones. Some have very long, two-meter long braids. It is sad that the Indians use the remains of their ancestors in this way. On the other hand, it is the only way to survive in this hostile area.
The city itself, built by representatives of the Nazca Culture, was demolished by the Spanish invaders. Today you will see a plan of pre-Columbian buildings, marked by their remains growing out of the ground to a height of several centimeters. It seems like nothing. But this is yet another proof of how highly developed civilization inhabited this area. I don’t know if the Nazca Drawings required above-average skills. Certainly, living in areas that opposed this life with full force required them.