In 1925 the Peruvian archeologist J. C. Tello discovered burial sites of the Paracas culture, which dated from 1300 BC to 200 AD. The Paracas are considered to have created the finest textiles known in the pre-Columbian period. The Museum J.C.Tello in the peninsula de Paracas and the Museum Regional in Ica have excellent displays of Paracas artifacts.

The only way to see the bird and sea-lion colonies is on a boat excursion to the Ballestas Islands.

Ica is a pleasant colonial town, on the Pan-American highway, situated high enough to avoid the coastal Aruba (sea mist). The desert surrounding Ica is noted for its huge sand dunes. There is a thriving wine and pisco (a white grape brandy) industry, and distilleries and wineries can be visited.

The Regional Museum of Ica one the best small museums in Peru, with artifacts from the Paracas, Nazca and Inca cultures, and textiles made from feathers. The collection contains Nazca ceramics, well-preserved mummies, trepanned skulls and trophy heads, qui pus (the knotted strings used by the Incas as mnemonic devices) and many other objects.

The Nazca Lines, the huge geometric designs (of monkeys, spiders birds, etc.), drawn in the desert and visible only from the air, remain a mystery. Who constructed the Lines and why? One theory is that they were an astronomical calendar for agricultural purposes. Another theory is that they were ritual walkways linking hubcaps or sites of ceremonial significance. Another thought is, that they involve mountain worship. Still another, that the Nazca people had air balloons and actually could observe the figures in the Lines from the air. There is even a theory that the Lines were extraterrestrial landing sites.

In Nazca the tour can include a stop at a potter’s workshop for a demonstration of how the potter forms a lump of clay into a perfect hollow sphere in minutes.