Cantalloc Aqueducts

The Cantalloc Aqueducts are the best-known examples of puquios, an ingenious underground aqueduct system built by the Nazca culture (c. 200 BC - 650 AD) approximately 4 km west of Nazca, Peru. The system combines open-air stone-lined ditches with underground galleries extending 10-15 metres below the surface, featuring distinctive spiral stone entrances called 'ojos' (eyes) that serve as ventilation shafts and maintenance access. Built between approximately 300 and 500 AD, the puquios harnessed prevailing winds to push water through subterranean channels to reservoirs and agricultural land. Remarkably, 43 puquios remain operational today with only minor modern modifications, still supplying water for irrigation and domestic use.