The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru.
The very arid and high plateau stretches more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) between the towns of Nazca and Palpa, about 400 km south of Lima.
Scholars believe the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca culture sometime between 400 and 650 BCE, although some of the geoglyphs resemble Paracas motifs. The hundreds of individual carvings range in complexity from simple lines to stylized monkeys, spiders, hummingbirds, fish, llamas, lizards, sharks, and orcas (killer whales).
Nazca Lines - "The Astronaut"
The designs are shallow lines, mostly about 6 inches deep, which have been carved into the ground by removing the top layer of ground surface (reddish pebbles), thereby uncovering the whitish ground beneath (…incidentally, a similar method was also used in Britain and Wales by ancient Britons). Whilst many consist of just simple lines or geometric shapes, more than seventy are designs of animal, bird, fish or human figures. The largest figure designs are over 200 meters (660 ft) across.
Scholars differ in their interpretation of the purpose of the designs, but they generally agree that there was most likely a religious significance to them.
Nazca Lines - Satellite View
Some people believe that the Nazca lines could not have been made without some form of manned flight, such as a balloon, to see the figures properly.
The Swiss author Erich von Däniken remarks in his book, “Chariots of the Gods?” that the Nazca lines and other complex constructions represent higher technological knowledge than he believes existed when the glyphs were created.
Däniken has also suggested that the Nazca lines are the runways of an ancient airfield that was used by extraterrestrials.
Nazca Lines - "The Humming Bird"
Nazca Lines - "The Hands"
Nazca Lines - Monkey
Nazca Lines - Spider
Nazca Lines - Bird (Condor)
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