Results 1 to 1 of 1

Thread: Mysterious Subterranean Water Channels Of Nazca Peru

  1. #1
    Retired Member United States
    Join Date
    13th September 2013
    Location
    Dixieland - USA
    Posts
    1,030
    Thanks
    642
    Thanked 6,928 Times in 1,027 Posts

    Mysterious Subterranean Water Channels Of Nazca Peru

    • Ancient Peruvian Nazca culture built large spiraling funnels into the desert
    • Known as puquios, they have baffled archaeologists as to their use
    • Research suggests they helped to draw water along underwater canals
    • Data from satellite reveals they are still helping to irrigate some areas


    Strange spiraling holes dotted across the arid valleys of southern Peru have puzzled generations of archaeologists.

    But researchers believe they may have solved the mystery of the Nazca holes, known as puquios, with the help of satellite images and data.

    They said the holes formed part of a 'sophisticated' hydraulic system that allowed the ancient Nazca civilization to retrieve water from underground aquifers.


    Holes scattered across the arid valleys of southern Peru, known
    as puquios, are thought to have formed part of a sophisticated
    hydraulic system that helped to irrigate the surrounding desert.
    The spiraling holes funnelled wind into canals below, helping to
    move water along them.



    The Nazca culture, which flourished around 100BC to 800AD, were the same people who created the vast geoglyphs on the featureless landscape, also known as the Nazca lines.

    Rosa Lasaponara, from the Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis in Italy, said the holes appear to have allowed the Nazca to survive in the notoriously drought hit region.

    The Nazca culture, which flourished around 100BC to 800AD, were the same people who created the vast geoglyphs on the featureless landscape, also known as the Nazca lines.

    Rosa Lasaponara, from the Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis in Italy, said the holes appear to have allowed the Nazca to survive in the notoriously drought hit region.


    Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N14Q-9jpAPM


    The puquio are found close to the city of Nazca (shown on map) and
    are thought to have been built by the ancient Nazca culture that lived
    in the region.



    'Exploiting an inexhaustible water supply throughout the year, the puquio system contributed to an intensive agriculture of the valleys in one of the most arid places in the world.'

    Archaeologists have long suspected the puquios were used as part of an aqueduct system, but how they worked has been poorly understood.

    They are thought to be distinct from the huge bands of holes that can be seen in the nearby Pico Valley, which are though to have been used by the Nasca for storage.

    Dr Lasaponara and her team used satellite images to examine how the puquios were distributed across the Nazca region in relation to ancient networks of trenches.

    They also examined current soil moisture and vegetation change in the region using satellite data.


    The puquio are thought to be distinct from the huge bands of holes
    that can be seen in the nearby Pico Valley, which are thought to have
    been used by the Nazca for storage.



    The group concluded the puquios appear to have helped irrigate the surrounding landscape through the network of channels.

    In some cases there is evidence the puquios are still functioning to a lesser degree today.

    It is thought they operated by channelling wind into the earth down the corkscrew holes and into a series of underground canals that carried water from aquifers.

    This influx of air kept the water moving along the canals, forcing it out into the network of channels in areas where it was needed.

    'Despite the arid and extreme nature of the environment, this region was populated by important civilizations, such as Paracas and Nazca, which flourished in the Early Intermediate period (200 BCE-500 AD),' they explained.

    'In particular the Nazca civilisation is well-known for its refined and colourful pottery, characterized by a rich icononographic repertory, and, above all, by the huge and mysterious geoglyphs drawn on the arid plateaus of the Rio Grande de Nazca Basin.

    'In order to practice agriculture, the Nazca developed adequate strategies to cope with hostile environmental factors and water scarcity, building a very efficient aqueduct system.

    'They were aided by the fact that underground water was likely enough close to the surface and accessible by constructing wells and underground aqueducts, known with quechua name of puquios.

    'The effectiveness of the techniques of hydraulic engineering depended on the climate and the weather events that sometimes underwent drastic changes, as results of the cyclical phenomenon of El NiƱo Southern Oscillation.'

    The Nazca are perhaps more famous for the giant geoglyphs and images etched into the desert of Peru. Little is known about this civilisation as they had no writing system.

    But Dr Lasaponara claims the construction of the puquios shows just how sophisticated they were.





    Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...on-system.html



    peace...

  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to skywizard For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (24th July 2018), Dreamtimer (23rd July 2018), Elen (24th July 2018), modwiz (23rd July 2018)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •