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Cahuachi is a vast ceremonial complex built by the Nazca in the basin of the Río Grande, within the Central Andes of Peru. The Nazca culture emerged around 100 BC out of the earlier Paracas tradition, establishing settlements across the Río Grande de Nazca drainage and the Ica Valley. Distinctive features of this culture include pre-fire slip polychrome ceramics, which marked a departure from the Paracas post-fire resin technique.

Today, the Nazca are most famous for two extraordinary achievements: the Nazca Lines — vast geoglyphs etched into the desert floor — and the puquios, sophisticated underground aqueducts that secured water in an otherwise arid landscape.

Occupation at Cahuachi can be traced as early as 400 BC. By the Nazca 2 Phase (100 BC–AD 1), the site had already become a regional hub. Its importance grew dramatically during the Nazca 3 Phase (AD 1–450), when Cahuachi was transformed into the principal ceremonial center of the culture. At this time, large-scale construction projects reshaped the natural topography into monumental terraced mounds, giving the appearance of pyramids and temple platforms.

Archaeologists have identified more than 40 such mounds at the site, many crowned with adobe structures including temples, rooms, cylindrical shafts, and perimeter walls. The largest is the “Great Temple,” measuring over 150 by 100 meters at its base and rising nearly 100 meters in height. The summit holds a large plaza backed by a pyramidal structure, while the lower sections feature multiple terraced platforms and enclosed courtyards.

Unlike other contemporary sites, Cahuachi shows little evidence of permanent habitation. Archaeological material suggests it was not a population center but rather a ceremonial gathering place, periodically occupied for rituals, festivals, and pilgrimages.

The site’s function shifted during the Nazca 4 Phase, when Cahuachi became a major burial ground. By then, much of the architecture had been abandoned, though offerings continued into the Nazca 6 and 7 Phases. Ultimately, the complex was fully abandoned between AD 450 and 500.

Cahuachi remains one of the most significant ceremonial landscapes of the Nazca, embodying their religious life, social organization, and monumental building traditions — a sacred city in the desert that once served as the spiritual heart of a remarkable ancient culture.