Paracas is the capital of the
Paracas District in the
Ica Region in
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
. A small port town catering to tourism, Paracas serves as the jumping point for tours to
Islas Ballestas and to
Paracas National Reserve. The
Paracas Bay, protected by
Paracas Peninsula, gives these shallow, warmer waters a break from ocean waves, permitting life to flourish, particularly near its southwestern edge encompassed within the Paracas National Reserve. The , also found just near the southwestern edge of
Paracas Bay, provides information about
Paracas culture and the many unique species, particularly birds, inhabiting the area. Paracas lies in a windy area where strong air currents carry sand, hence the town's name "Paracas", from
Quechua: ''para'' (rain) and ''aco'' (sand).
History
On September 7, 1820, General
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...
landed at Paracas with six ships of his
Peruvian Freedom Expedition from Chile.
Hotel boom
Paracas has become one of the major beach resorts of Peru and has received much hotel investment.
[ (Spanish)] With the hotel boom of 2009,
Paracas Bay added three 4 and 5 star hotels and two 3 star hotels.
References
{{Ica-geo-stub
Populated places in the Department of Ica