History of Ica

The strong winds which so easily raise clouds of sand, locally known as Paracas, have shaped singular dunes, covering the famous Pampas of Ica with sand, jealously guarding the mysteries of old regional cultures. In spite of the shortage of water in the area,the inhabitants of Ica have achieved an admirable level of agricultural development,thanks to the design of complex irrigation canals, which took advantage of underground water filtering.

Signs of the first inhabitants of the region date back to at least 5,000 years ago, as evidence by the remains found in the Paracas Peninsula. Ica has been the development center for important cultures, like the Paracas (600 B.C. - 400A.C.) and the Nazca (200 B.C. -800 A.C.). Famous for their advanced knowledge of medicine, the Paracas were successful in brain surgery trepanation and deformation.

They also mastered the manufacturing of beautiful knits, interweaving highly colorful wool and cotton yarn, the embroidering and designs of which are still widely admired. Much later, the Nazcas left aqueducts in the pampas, some of which are still being used to irrigate de fields and impressive archaeological evidence which is still to be deciphered, such as the case of the Nazca Lines.

The region became part of the Tahuantinsuyo during the government of Inca Pachacutec, who ordered the building of an important administrative and religious center, known as Tacaraca, which is said to have been the residence of the local governor Aranvilca.

With the spanish conquest, the are was initially divided into two rich encomiendas (estates granted to Spanish colonists by royal decree):Hanan Ica and Urin Ica. Later, in1563, the Viceroy Count of Nieva, ordered Luis Jeronimo de Cabrera to found the Villa de Valverde, which since June 1640 came to be known as Ica. The village which preceded the present city was initially situated in a place which had to be abandoned as a result of the terrible destruction produced by an earthquake, causing its relocation to its present site.

Ica has always been a city recognized for its agricultural importance, as well as for being a key point in Southern Peru’s trade circuit. In the 19th century, the Chincha Islands became a strategic place for the exploitation of guano as fertilizer, a key resource in the national economy of those days. Subsequently, thanks to the cotton crops, the economy of Ica recovered its dynamism.
Currently, Ica maintains its farming tradition with vast areas of grapevines, cotton, lima beans, pecans and fruits of many types, contrasting with the beauty of the desert.