DESCRIPTION
The Nazca Lines, also known in the scientific world as "geoglyphs", are one of the most important legacies of the ancient Peruvian pre-Inca cultures. Located in the valleys of Palpa and Nazca, in the Peruvian department of Ica, this enormous extension of desert pampas exposes on its sands enormous geometric figures that in perfect harmony compose drawings of animals, plants, objects, human beings and gods. About the origin and meaning of these lines, archaeologists and researchers of paranormal events have raised several theories that interpret the set of lines as a huge astronomical calendar or a place of worship of water built by the Paracas and Nazca cultures.
LOCATION
The Nazca Lines are located in the Pampas de Jumaná, Ica region, in Peru, South America. Nazca is a town located 500 km south of Lima at an altitude of 600 m. The name "Nazca" comes from the ancient and enigmatic pre-Inca culture.
ATTRACTIONS
- The Figures
Numerous figures are found in Nazca, particularly in the Pampa de San José: geometric figures, meanders, animal, plant and human representations, labyrinths, and other geometric drawings.
The most representative are the drawings of animals: birds between 25 and 300 meters long (giant hummingbirds, condors, the heron, the crane, the pelican, the seagull, the parrot and others), a monkey, a spider, a snail, a lizard, a 27-meter killer whale, a dog with long legs and tail, two llamas, etc. In the reptile category, a lizard, which was cut down when the Panamerican Highway South was built, an iguana and a snake. Many of the drawings are mixed with lines and spirals.
Almost all the drawings were made on the flat surface; there are only a few on the hillsides. Almost all the figures that are placed on the slopes represent men. Some are crowned by three or four vertical lines that perhaps represent the feathers of a ceremonial headdress (some Peruvian mummies wore headdresses of gold and feathers).
The figures on the slopes appear less well defined than those in the desert, perhaps because the stones that have rolled down the slope have blurred the details.
- Astronaut figure
More than thirty geoglyphs have been found to date in the Nazca Pampas. The drawings are smaller in quantity compared to the geometric designs that consist of hundreds and hundreds of lines, triangles and quadrangles that occupy large extensions of land. Their construction technique was careful, the surveyors of the past took the lines to hills and ravines without deviating from their original direction.
- Layout
Technically the Nazca lines are perfect. The straight lines enclose a perfection with a few small deviations along kilometers. The drawings are well proportioned, especially if we think about the dimensions of his drawings. "The depth of the lines never exceeds 30 cm and some are simple scratches on the surface, but they can still be recognized when the sun is low and the relief is accentuated", explains Dr. Reiche in one of the many testimonies she left to the world.
Among the largest geoglyphs are: a bird of almost 300 m, a lizard of 180 m, a pelican of 135 m, a condor of 135 m, a monkey of 135 m and a spider of 42 meters. These dimensions are a constant source of admiration for visitors to the area.
Appreciable only from the air
- Spider figure
From the ground, these designs go unnoticed. These lines can only be observed in all their immensity from the air, when flying over the desert at least two hundred meters high. This demonstrates a great geometric knowledge of the ancient Peruvians.
SCHEDULE
Monday to Sunday: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Tour (light aircraft or helicopter): $40.00 to $50.00
