Ica
	History
	Geography
	Tourism
	Generalities
	Photo Gallery

History:

The littoral of the Ica's shore stands out as a very important region regarding the Peru's pre-history. The fossil remains found in this zone (large cetacea), corresponding to the tertiary age, confirm the antiquity of the zone. The bony remains of the "Man of Paracas", the second horticulturist of Peru (6,870 B.C.) were found in the Santo Domingo Pampa. This ancient man lived in straw huts, organized in teams, engaged in fishing, agriculture and the exchange of goods.

In the sandy zone of the Paracas Peninsula, Julio C. Tello discovered, between 1925 and 1927 the great cemeteries, called Necrópolis, of a Pre-Columbian culture. The ancient Paracas bodies were found mummified with fine colorful and clothes full of symbols, named Mantos de Paracas. This culture was characterized by the use of medicine, specially the craneal trepanations as is evident from those found in the area.

Later, the Nazca culture developed centered in Cahuachi, on the banks of Rio Grande. Its ceramics has made the Nazca to be seen as the best ceramics painters in Pre-Columbian American. Its Pottery was pictorical, they painted on the surface of the pots with unsurpassable mastery. Besides the "Nazca Lines" are known all over the world. It is a gigantic astronomical calender of about 350 KM².

The Inca Empire's domination of Ica's territory began at the time of Inca Pachacutec who enlarged the Tahuantinsuyo by the coast from the valley of Majes up to Chincha and this region was to be called Chinchaysuyo. During the conquest, Nicolás de Rivera el Viejo arrived to Ica looking for a proper place to found a new city. The Ica Valley's Villa de Valverde was founded on September 30, 1563 by the spanish captain Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera. In the Independence epoch San Martín with its expedition team landed in Pisco, thus beginning the Peruvian liberation of Spain. Colonel Mariano Ignacio Prado created the Department of Ica in 1866.