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Some 20km south of the viewing tower, the colonial town of NAZCA spreads along the margin of a small coastal valley. Although the river is invariably dry, Nazca's valley remains green and fertile through the continued application of an Incaic subterranean aqueduct. It's a small town - slightly at odds with its appearance on maps - but an interesting and enjoyable place to stay. Indeed, these days it has become a major attraction, boasting, in addition to the Lines, the excellent Museo Antoni/Centro Italiano Archaeologico , adobe Inca ruins of Paredones only a couple of kilometres to the south, the Casa Museo Maria Reiche , with access to several of the Nazca desert's animal figures, and two or three important archeological sites within an easy day's range. Severely damaged by the earthquake of 1996, the face of Nazca has changed recently with the rebuilding of about half the town. The earthquake registered 6.4 on the Richter scale, lasting one minute and fifty two seconds - it only killed ten people in town, but a further three hundred died in nearby mines. Beyond the airport there's ample evidence of the town's rapid development in the form of new squatter settlements parcelled off into 200-square metre plots. After about 6 months the squatters receive their legal right to the land, and water and electricity usually follow a few years later. September is one of the best times to visit Nazca if you want to participate in one of it's fiestas, when they venerate the Virgen de Guadalupe (Sept 8) with great enthusiasm. In May, the religious and secular festivities of the Fiesta de las Cruces, too go on for days.
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