Nazca Aqueducts

The Nazca aqueducts carry water from the snow-capped mountains and from the seepage of the Aija, Tierra Blancas and Nazca rivers through underground sections (underground galleries) and through uncovered sections (ditch galleries). In the covered sections, helical section chimneys were built every certain distance (50, 100 and 120 m), in order to maintain the ditches and to load the aqueduct with atmospheric pressure and maintain a uniform flow regime, which does not cause erosion or sedimentation in the channel. The chimneys have an average length of approximately 50 meters, where it is relatively easy to enter to perform maintenance. The walls of these chimneys are lined with cobblestone, placed apparently without binder and they maintain their stability despite natural phenomena. Due to the water scarcity that this caused in the region, the inhabitants of the ancient Nasca culture managed to use water from the subsoil's water table, through technological innovation that gave rise to underground aqueducts.