Nazca Lines Of Peru: More Complex Than You May Think…

The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. They were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The high, arid plateau stretches more than 80 kilometres (50 mi) between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana about 400 km south of Lima. Although some local geoglyphs resemble Paracas motifs, scholars believe the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca culture between 400 and 650 AD.

The designs are shallow lines made in the ground by removing the reddish pebbles and uncovering the whitish/grayish ground beneath. Hundreds are simple lines or geometric shapes; more than seventy are zoomorphic designs of animals such as birds, fish, llamas, jaguar, monkey, or human figures. Other designs include phytomorphic shapes such as trees and flowers. 

The lines and figures actually start on the coast, at Paracas to the northwest of Nazca. Here we find the 450 foot tall “Candelabro” figure whose design and function are debated by many scholars.

Some say it represents a San Pedro cactus plant, while others claim it is a 16th century treasure map. In fact, I think that the logical answer is that it is a mirror image of the Southern Cross constellation, since it points south, and the Southern Cross rises behind it. 

To the southeast of Paracas is the area of Palpa, which, like Paracas was occupied by the Elongated Skull Paracas culture prior to the existence of the Nazca. In and around Palpa there are at least 1600 geoglyphs and lines.

Unlike the Nazca area, Palpa is mountainous, and thus most of the Palpa geoglyphs can only be seen with a small plane or helicopter. Most people are completely unaware of their existence.

The Nazca Plain is flat, and therefore the figures are easy to observe from the air. The question remains as to why they were made, and the answer is complex. Rather than being made solely for ceremonial or astronomical reasons, or to track underground streams, some were made for one or the other, and the lines were created as roads, for sun and moon alignments, as well as for tracking underground water.

Here above we see that one of the major Nazca figures is criss-crossed with lines. It is doubtful that the lines and figure were produced at the same time. For more about these enigmas, check out the book below:

Available as e-book or paper back HERE