The sophisticated hydraulic system of the Nazca civilization.
The puquios are an old and extensive system of subterranean aqueducts, surface channels, reservoirs, and spiraling holes that allowed the Nazca civilization to distribute water in one
The sophisticated hydraulic system of the Nazca civilization.
The puquios are an old and extensive system of subterranean aqueducts, surface channels, reservoirs, and spiraling holes that allowed the Nazca civilization to distribute water in one of the most arid places in the world.
In the deserts and valleys of Nazca, droughts can last for years, but the Nazca civilization was able to survive and flourish in this region. This was due in large part to their impressive use of hydraulic engineering, an achievement arguably greater than the creation of the Nazca Lines.
The hydraulic system of the Nazca, known as the puquios, is a combination of underground tunnels, small reservoirs, and strange spiraling holes that lead from the surface to the water below. It was used to carry water to both agricultural lands and to populated areas to supply drinking water.
The Nazca built the puquios to connect to subsurface water, with the source often many miles away from where it was needed. The water was then channeled both underground and along the surface, with some parts of the system having multiple branches.
The open trenches tend to be shorter than the underground channels, and some have a gentle S-shaped curvature along their course to slow the flow of water. The subterranean aqueducts were dug out and then covered, and in some cases extended by tunneling. The sides of both the underground and surface channels were typically lined with river cobbles.
Along the course of many of the underground channels are strange spiraling well-like constructions 