Illapa Culturas Andinas Inversiones

Historical Outline
Ica is an area of great historical antiquity and has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years. Important civilizations and cultures developed there, such as the Nasca, Nasca-Wari, Paracas and Chincha. Of these, the Nasca and Paracas are recognized as exponents of high culture, particularly in their artistic expressions. The Paracas Culture (between 800 and 200 B.C.) stands out conspicuously, not only for its artistic achievements, especially textiles, but also for advances in medicine, particularly in surgery such as skull trepanation. This culture is also famous for having practiced mummification of the dead and vast cemeteries of Paracas mummies have been unearthed in the area known as the Paracas peninsula Further south, the neighboring Nasca culture, in turn, stands out prominently for the fine quality of its ceramics, as well as the mysterious monumental lines and figures drawn upon the flat desert land, which can only be properly viewed and ascertained from the air. The Nascas also left for posterity a network of stone lined aqueducts running under the desert which carried water from the far away mountains, as well as wells and cisterns –all representing good examples of very sophisticated knowledge of hydraulic engineering- with which to obtain and distribute water from the water tables underlying the desert environment. This allowed for a fairly efficient system of irrigation, agriculture and sustainable living conditions amidst a harsh and arid environment. During the XVI century, the valleys of Ica, Nasca and Chincha were conquered by the Incas under their ruler Pachacutec. Almost 100 years later the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors took place, signaling the end of Inca rule. In 1563, the Spanish Captain Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera founded the city of Ica –at that time named “la Villa de Valverde del Valle de Ica”. From that time onward, the region became an important wine and cotton producing area. During the Wars of Independence from Spain, General José de San Martín, the original liberator of Peru, landed with his army in Paracas (where, inspired by the sight of the numerous flamingoes in the area, he also created the red-and-white flag of the future Republic of Peru) and established his headquarters in the port of Pisco, from where he began his final march upon the city of Lima to oust the Spanish. In present times, Ica is a very hospitable city which serves as an excellent staging point from where to visit some of the most beautiful beaches in the southern Peruvian coast, as well as the Nasca lines and, along with it all, to make the rounds among the numerous vineyards and wineries to taste the excellence of the local wines and Piscos.