Nazca Attractions
Description
Venue: Nazca When: Daily
The Nazca Lines are the extraordinary, mysterious legacy left by a culture that flourished in 300 BC, vast drawings of animals and deities that cover 50 square kilometres of the Nazca Desert.
The Nazca Lines, "discovered" in 1927, are located on a high arid plateau in the pampa of southern Peru. The site is unique in its ability to preserve the markings on it, due to the combination of an extremely dry climate and the flat, stony ground which minimises the effect of the wind at ground level. In total there are around 300 geometric shapes etched in the surface of the desert sand, along with 30 figures including a flower, a hummingbird, a monkey, a dog, an anthropomorphic figure known as the astronaut and a strange being with enormous hands.
Some of the designs are up to 300 metres long and can only be seen clearly from the air, from an altitude of at least 1500 feet. The Nazca culture is not believed to have been capable of manned flight, so the question remains as to how they made the drawings and why.
Theories abound regarding these mysterious etchings. Swiss writer Erich von Daniken suggested in his 1968 book, Chariots of the Gods, that the lines were built by ancient astronauts as a landing strip. Photographer Robin Edgar beieves that the Nazca Figures were inspired by, and intended to be seen by, the so-called "Eye of God" that is manifested during total solar eclipses - an extraordinary series of solar eclipses coincided with the lines' construction. The most probable theory is that of María Reiche, a German researcher who dedicated her life to studying the lines. She believed that the lines were part of a huge astronomic calendar with the figures representing different solar phases.
One thing is certain, no one has successfully proved who made the Nazca Lines or why. They remain an enigma and continue to intrigue all who see them.
The Nazca Lines are the extraordinary, mysterious legacy left by a culture that flourished in 300 BC, vast drawings of animals and deities that cover 50 square kilometres of the Nazca Desert.
The Nazca Lines, "discovered" in 1927, are located on a high arid plateau in the pampa of southern Peru. The site is unique in its ability to preserve the markings on it, due to the combination of an extremely dry climate and the flat, stony ground which minimises the effect of the wind at ground level. In total there are around 300 geometric shapes etched in the surface of the desert sand, along with 30 figures including a flower, a hummingbird, a monkey, a dog, an anthropomorphic figure known as the astronaut and a strange being with enormous hands.
Some of the designs are up to 300 metres long and can only be seen clearly from the air, from an altitude of at least 1500 feet. The Nazca culture is not believed to have been capable of manned flight, so the question remains as to how they made the drawings and why.
Theories abound regarding these mysterious etchings. Swiss writer Erich von Daniken suggested in his 1968 book, Chariots of the Gods, that the lines were built by ancient astronauts as a landing strip. Photographer Robin Edgar beieves that the Nazca Figures were inspired by, and intended to be seen by, the so-called "Eye of God" that is manifested during total solar eclipses - an extraordinary series of solar eclipses coincided with the lines' construction. The most probable theory is that of María Reiche, a German researcher who dedicated her life to studying the lines. She believed that the lines were part of a huge astronomic calendar with the figures representing different solar phases.
One thing is certain, no one has successfully proved who made the Nazca Lines or why. They remain an enigma and continue to intrigue all who see them.
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