Puquios are an ancient system of subterranean aqueducts believed to have been built by both the Paracas and Nasca cultures in the region of present-day Nazca, Peru. The former group occupied the area roughly between 800 BCE and 200 BCE, and the Nasca from 200 BCE to 650 CE near the city of Nazca, Peru. The technology of puquios is similar to that of the qanats of Iran and Makhmour/Iraq, and other ancient filtration galleries known in numerous societies in the Old World and China, which appear to have been developed independently. They are a sophisticated way to provide water from underground aquifers in arid regions. The Nasca also constructed the elaborate projects in this region known as the Nazca lines. Of 36 known puquios in Peru, most still function and are relied upon to bring fresh water into the desert. The puquios first became a subject of study in the early 20th century, although they had been known before, but historic evidence was scarce. The puquios have never been fully mapped, nor excavated. For some time, scholars disagreed on whether they were built by pre-Hispanic peoples or during the Spanish colonial era, because of a lack of evidence. Satellite imaging in the 21st century has revealed that the system was more extensive in the Nasca region than previously thought. Scholars have been able to see how the "puquios were distributed across the Nasca region, and where they ran in relation to nearby settlements – which are easier to date." The Italian team that conducted this study concluded in 2016 that the puquios are pre-Hispanic. In addition, RPAS, or drones were used in 2016 to map and document five sample cqueduct systems in the Nazca region.
Age and makers
For decades, scholars disagreed about when the aqueducts were built. Both before and after the time of the Spanish Empire, historical references to these structures has been lacking. None of the early commentators described the filtration galleries as something they observed in the region. Such galleries had long been used in Spain and other Iberian areas. Some archaeologists contend that the puquios were built by Pre-Hispanic people around 540 CE in response to two prolonged droughts during that time. The first known historical writing to refer to them was in 1605 by Reginaldo de Lizárraga. Some scholars believe this suggests that the works were built by the Spanish. But none of the available Spanish texts mentions a project to build the puquios, nor do they describe such existing water systems. In their book Irrigation and Society in the Peruvian Desert and earlier writings, Katharina Schreiber and Josue Lancho Rojas explore puquios and show evidence that these works were built by a pre-Hispanic civilization. On the other hand, Monica Barnes and David Fleming argue that Schreiber and Rojas misinterpreted evidence, presumably ignoring easier explanations for a construction in colonial times. As a result of some late 20th-century radiocarbon dating of organic materials and accelerator mass spectrometer analysis of rock varnishes, some puquios were dated to around the 6th or 7th century CE. This is consistent with pre-Hispanic origin.
Satellite and RPAS research
Rosa Lasaponara, Nicola Masini, and their team of the Italian CNR, in cooperation with archaeologistGiuseppe Orefici, studied the puquios using satellite imaging in the early 21st century. They found clear evidence that the puquio system must previously have been much more developed than it appears today. A series of canals was used to bring water from underground aquifers to the surface and channel it to the areas where it was needed. Excess water was stored in surface reservoirs. To help keep the water flowing, chimneys were excavated above the canals in the shape of corkscrewing funnels. These funnels admitted wind into the canals, and the difference in atmospheric pressure along the canal length forced the water through the system and eventually to the desired destination. Satellite imagery has also revealed additional, previously unknown puquios in the Nasca drainage basin.
