NAZCA LINES These were constructed around 200 B.C and included figures like birds (condors, a heron, a crane, a pelican, a seagull, a parrot), a spider, a monkey, a whale, a lizard, a dog, a anthropomorphic figure called 'Spaceman', among others. It is Have you heard about the enigmatic Nazca Lines? These are a giant figures
etched in the ground of the Nazca Desert in Peru. These figures consist of over 800 straight lines, 300 geometric figures and 70 animal and plant designs. These were built between 400 and 650 AD and cover an area of 450 km 2. The mysterious part of
believed that the spider is signal of rain, the hummingbirds of fertility and the monkey
possibly represents a constellation related with the arrival of
water. The geoglyphs
figures are geometric forms that included straight lines, triangles, spirals, circles and trapezoids. The size of these figures is from
90 to 400 meters of diameter.
these geoglyphs is that nobody knows how were they built and what their purpose is. There are many hypothesis about their
origin, some people says that these are signals
and
landing
strips
for
aliens
spacecraft, other researches refers to them as ephemeris and religious ceremonies. And, one of the most important aspects is that Nazca lines have remained for a long time due natural factors like the weather and the ground composition.
There are two types of figures in the Nazca lines:
biomorphs
and
geoglyphs.
The
biomorphs are in the south of 'Valle del Olimpo' and the north side of 'Valle de Nazca'.
There are several theories about the origin of the Nazca Lines. Erich Von Daniken in his book “Chariots of the Gods?� says that the Nazca Lines are used as airfields for aliens spaceships and that the biggest which is the
hillside
"The
Spaceman"
is
the
representation of aliens witnessed by the
Nazcas. Unfortunately, Von Daniken did not give evidence of this.
Maria Reiche Gosse (1903 - 1998) PhD in
being washed away by air move. The
mathematics and astronomy, was known as
annual
"The Queen of the Desert". She dedicated
degrees Celsius, where warm air prevents
her whole life to study the geoglyphs
the lines are cleared.
average
temperature
is
25
establishing a relation between them and
astros
position.
explains
that
astronomic
In
her
these
meaning:
hypothesis,
pictures these
she
had were
an the
biggest celestial calendar of the world that allowed identify dates and seasons. Other hypothesis, suggests that the Nazcas made religious ceremonies in different seasons, the historian Maria Rostworowski says that the purpose of these figures was
to be seen from the sky by the Kon God also called flying God-. The drawings were
One of the most important gifts that the human being has not lost is the sense of wonder, in our planet there are several places that let us contemplate the
wonder of the universe and that it are part of the reality. The Nazca Lines is one of those places, we don't know what their origin is, but the most important aspect is
that these giant figures are part of our world and it can amaze us by their size,
used by the Nazcas for show him the way
their conservation and their history. Now,
to his land, where the people were waiting
you have known something about Nazca
for him with ceremonies and sacrifice
Lines, are you interesting in visit this
rituals. In this way, prevent that the Kon God
enigmatic place?
go through the sky and let the people in drought. So far, there are only some partial explanations considered as 'probable', but
nothing that can be consider definitive and reliable. The conservation of the Nazca lines is due to natural factors: in this area falls less 1 liter/m2 of rain a year, the soil has a high content of gypsum, which mixed with the morning dew keeps earth and stones subject to ground, preventing them from
By: Sandra Lamilla