Remote sensing and geophysics for the study of the human past in the Nasca Drainage

This chapters presents and discusses the results of investigations performed by ITACA Mission of CNR in the Nasca drainage basin, including the ceremonial center of Cahuachi, from 2007 to 2014. The employed approach was based on the multiscale and multisensor integration of remote-sensing methods, including geophysics. Most of the applications have been intended for preventive archaeology, in particular, for providing information on the presence of buried sites and structures by identifying different surface characteristics such as arid bare ground in the Pampas and vegetated areas in the river oases. The operational use of earth-observation technologies has been the occasion to develop ad hoc approaches to data acquisition, processing, and interpretation for the detection of earthen buried structures that is a crucial and challenging issue due to the subtle physical contrast between earthen remains and the surrounding subsoil. This made necessary amassing experience in, and the testing of, various techniques to investigate the subsoil by geophysical and remote methods, working side by side with archaeologists, involved in the interpretation of the results. The obtained results have been the discovery of previously unknown sites in the Nasca drainage basin, the identification of buried ritual offering, the characterization of the stepped structure of Templo Sur, and the mapping of areas of archaeological interest.