Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana

Located in the arid Peruvian coastal plain, some 400 km south of Lima, the geoglyphs of Nasca and the pampas of Jumana cover about 450 km2 . These lines, which were scratched on the surface of the ground between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500, are among archaeology's greatest enigmas because of their quantity, nature, size and continuity. The geoglyphs depict living creatures, stylized plants and imaginary beings, as well as geometric figures several kilometres long. They are believed to have had ritual astronomical functions.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/700

The Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana are the most outstanding geoglyphs in the world due to their size, number, diversity and long period of development. They are considered a magnificent artistic achievement of pre-Hispanic South America.

The lines are located in the arid coastal plain of Peru. The hundreds of individual figures range in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fish, sharks, orcas, llamas, and lizards. Their development spans 3 chronological phases between 500 BC and 500 AD. Many have been superimposed on older ones, with erasures and overwritings complicating their interpretation.

For the most part, the technique used to create the lines was the removal of the gravel from the figure, providing a solid figure that contrasts with its surroundings. The geoglyphs were supposedly used as pathways for ceremonial processions.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/nasca.html

Huascarán National Park

Situated in the Cordillera Blanca, the world's highest tropical mountain range, Mount Huascarán rises to 6,768 m above sea-level. The deep ravines watered by numerous torrents, the glacial lakes and the variety of the vegetation make it a site of spectacular beauty. It is the home of such species as the spectacled bear and the Andean condor.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/333

Huascaran National Park is an area of exceptional natural beauty because of its number of high snow-capped peaks, its glaciers and its high-altitude plateau. The National Park is located in the Cordillera Blanca range of the Andes. It is the highest tropical mountain range in the world.

The park measures ca. 154x30 km. It includes El Huascaran, at 6786 meters the highest mountain in Peru. And 26 other peaks over 6000m in altitude. There are 30 glaciers and 120 glacial lakes.

The park has a wide range of vegetation, including the gigantic Puya raimondi. Spectacled bear, puma, deer, vicuna, hawk and condor are among its fauna.

There is some volcanic activity, the last earthquake was in 1970. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/huascaran.html

Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa

The historic centre of Arequipa, built in volcanic sillar rock, represents an integration of European and native building techniques and characteristics, expressed in the admirable work of colonial masters and Criollo and Indian masons. This combination of influences is illustrated by the city's robust walls, archways and vaults, courtyards and open spaces, and the intricate Baroque decoration of its facades.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1016

The Historic Centre of the City of Arequipa is one of the most interesting examples of Latin American architecture and town planning. Frequent earthquakes, the abundant presence of volcanic rock, known as silla, and the city’s geographical isolation lead to the development of a distinct local architecture. It is characterized by the robustness of its walls, extensive use of archways and vaults, Romanic courtyards and open spaces and baroque decoration of the facades.

The artistic designs show the integration of European and native characteristics, resulting in some of the best mestizo Baroque buildings in the world. Most of them originated in the 16th century, but were built over and over again in the 17th and 18th centuries after several earthquakes struck.

Furthermore, the city has a spectacular natural setting in the foothills of three snow-capped volcanoes.

The Historic Centre is a uniform ensemble of both religious monuments and private houses. The most important historic ensembles of Arequipa include:

• The convent of Santa Catalina (on the postcard)

• The Plaza Mayor and the Cathedral

• La Compañia

• Santo Domingo

• La Merced

• San Agustin

• San Francisco 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/arequipa.html

Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu stands 2,430 m above sea-level, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.

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The History Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is the most renowned archeological site from the Inca Period. It dates from the middle of the 15th century. The complex is located 2,430 meters above sea level, on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley. The city sits in a saddle between the two mountains Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. This is considered to be scenically the most attractive part of the Peruvian Andes, for which the site earned inscription on natural criteria as well. 

Machu Picchu (a Quechua word for: Old Mountain) was unknown to the Spanish invaders and was only rediscovered in 1911. Its function is still under debate. Theories are that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti and/or was a sacred religious site.

The Inca artistically "sculpted" the mountain. The sanctuary was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Features of Inca archtecture that can be seen are platforms, ramps, stairways, trapezoidal windows and doors. 

At inscription it was suggested to extend the WHS to the Sacred Valley, including Pisac and Ollantaytambo for example. To date this has not happened. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/machupicchu.html

Historic Centre of Lima

Although severely damaged by earthquakes, this 'City of the Kings' was, until the middle of the 18th century, the capital and most important city of the Spanish dominions in South America. Many of its buildings, such as the Convent of San Francisco (the largest of its type in this part of the world), are the result of collaboration between local craftspeople and others from the Old World.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/500

The Historic Centre of Lima has been a leading city in the New World from its foundation in 1535 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. The centre covers both banks of the river Rimac (after which the city was named). It holds numerous religious and public buildings that date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Its first university, Saint Mark University, was established here in 1551 and its first printing press in 1584. It also became an important religious center, a Roman Catholic diocese was established in 1541 and converted to an archdiocese five years later.

The WHS originally (1988) included only the convent ensemble of San Francisco. It later was extended to the whole historic city centre. The earthquake of 1656 destroyed most of the original constructions. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/lima.html

City of Cuzco

Situated in the Peruvian Andes, Cuzco developed, under the Inca ruler Pachacutec, into a complex urban centre with distinct religious and administrative functions. It was surrounded by clearly delineated areas for agricultural, artisan and industrial production. When the Spaniards conquered it in the 16th century, they preserved the basic structure but built Baroque churches and palaces over the ruins of the Inca city.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/273

The City of Cuzco is the combination of the Inca capital and a Spanish colonial city. The Incas developed the city in the late 15th century, during the reigns of Pachacutec and Tupac Yupanqui. They aimed to create an ideal town, with administrative and religious functions in the center and agriculture and industrial production in the outlying areas.

The first Spaniards arrived in the city in 1533. They constructed their own buildings (catholic churches, mansions) on the demolished walls of the Inca buildings, but left the city layout intact. These buildings are of Spanish influence with a mix of Inca architecture. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/cuzco.html

Chavin (Archaeological Site)

The archaeological site of Chavin gave its name to the culture that developed between 1500 and 300 B.C. in this high valley of the Peruvian Andes. This former place of worship is one of the earliest and best-known pre-Columbian sites. Its appearance is striking, with the complex of terraces and squares, surrounded by structures of dressed stone, and the mainly zoomorphic ornamentation.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/330

The archeological site of Chavin de Huantar was a sanctuary and pilgrimage site of the culture of Chavin, one of the ancient civilizations of South America that existed between 1500 and 300 B.C.. This ceremonial center is located at an altitude of 3,177 meters in a high valley in the Andes.

The complex consists of temples, a number of terraces and squares and a network of underground galleries. There is a massive central square, with underneath it a well-engineered system for drainage. The Castillo is the main temple, with three levels of dry stone masonry. On the outside it was adorned with sculptured cornerstones - the famous "Cabezas clavas" of which one is still in situ.

Furthermore there are zoomorphical bas-relief sculptures and sculpted megaliths: the Lanzon, the Raimondi stele and the Tello obelisk. Pottery with religious offerings inside was found, including shells and carved bones.

Chavin priests manipulated sights and sounds to install fear in nonbelievers: they blew on Strombus trompets and amplified the sounds of water running through specially designed tunnels. They used hallucinational drugs, extracted for example from the San Pedro cactus.

Having been already noticed by the first Spanish explorers, the site was excavated from 1919 on. In 1945, it was partially covered by a landslide. And in 1970 it suffered from an earthquake. A new museum has been built in Chavin to house the original precious treasures that have been excavated. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/chavin.html

Chan Chan Archaeological Zone

The Chimu Kingdom, with Chan Chan as its capital, reached its apogee in the 15th century, not long before falling to the Incas. The planning of this huge city, the largest in pre-Columbian America, reflects a strict political and social strategy, marked by the city's division into nine 'citadels' or 'palaces' forming autonomous units.

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The Chan Chan Archaeological Zone covers the former capital of the Chimú Empire, the largest city of pre-Columbian America and a masterpiece of town planning. The remains consist of nine rectangular ensembles, the “Palaces”. A palace was a personal domain of a Chimú chieftain and an independent unit with its own temples, dwellings, reservoirs and gardens. There were also four industrial sectors, for woodwork, weaving, and the work of gold and silver. It is estimated that 30,000-60,000 people lived here in a zone of ca. 20 square km’s. 

The Chimu Empire stretched along the northern coast from Lima to Ecuador. The Chimu replaced the Moche here around 1200. It reached its zenith in the 15th century, just before it was weakend by the Inca and the Spanish. It was a fertile area at the time due to the use of irrigation via a vast network of canals diverting water from the Moche river.

The site was first excavated in the 1960's. Large parts are still uncovered, and suffer from erosion on the vulnerable adobe. The walls are decorated with raised friezes, displaying abstract motifs and anthropomorgical and zoomorphical subjects. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/chanchan.html