We continue our series of stories about mysterious ancient objects. Today we will tell you about the Nazca geoglyphs in Peru, created many centuries before the rise of the Inca Empire, and which are the most important evidence for the existence of a mysterious ancient culture in the territory of Peru. These lines and geoglyphs are located on the Nazca plateau and reach tens of meters in length, so they are visible only from the air.
The German scientist Von Daniken, in his book "An Answer to the Gods", claims that these lines were created as signals for the landing of alien spacecraft. And the German doctor of archeology Maria Reiche called these patterns a strange confirmation of the existence of the ancient Peruvian culture:
“The Nazca lines are nothing but the documented history of ancient Peruvian science. The ancient inhabitants of Peru created their own alphabet to describe the most important astronomical events. The Nazca lines are the pages of a book written in this strange alphabet.”
From the air, you can observe various figures such as large giant spiders, lizards, llamas, monkeys, dogs, hummingbirds, etc., not to mention zigzags and geometric projects. There are many unanswered questions regarding these lines. For example, how they remain intact after hundreds of years, or how they were created in such sizes, accurately recreating all proportions. 
In 1927, Mejia Hespe, a student of the famous Julio Tello, the father of Peruvian archeology, reported mysterious incomprehensible geoglyphs on the territory of the Peruvian plateau. Initially, this was not given any importance, scientists were engaged in research on other more significant sites, such as Machu Picchu 
In the same year, a researcher from the United States, Paul Kosok, arrived in Peru, who was very attracted ancient history Peru. On one of his first trips to the south of the country, he stopped at the top of a plateau and saw extensive lines on both sides of the road. After careful examination, he was amazed to find that one of the figures was displayed perfect shape bird flight. Kosok spent almost 20 years studying the Nazca lines, in 1946 he returned home, offering to study the drawings of the Nazca tribes to the German doctor of archeology Maria Reiche. Maria devoted her whole life to this work. 
Maria Reiche studied the Nazca lines for 50 years. She explained how these lines were used by the ancient Peruvian astronomers - they were a giant solar and lunar calendar hidden in the sand, legends and myths of the locals. 
The lines themselves are applied to the surface in the form of furrows up to 135 centimeters wide and up to 40-50 centimeters deep, while white stripes form on the black stony surface. The following fact is also noted: since the white surface is heated less than the black one, a pressure and temperature difference is created, which leads to the fact that these lines do not suffer in sandstorms.
The hummingbird has a length of 50 meters, the spider - 46, the condor has stretched from beak to tail feathers for almost 120 meters, and the lizard has a length of up to 188 meters. Such enormous dimensions of the drawings are admirable, almost all the drawings are made in this huge scale in the same manner, when the outline is outlined by one continuous line. The true shape of the images can only be observed from a bird's eye view. Such a natural elevation does not exist nearby, but there are medium size hills. But the higher you rise above the plateau, the smaller these drawings become and turn into incomprehensible scratches. 
Other animals captured by the Nazca include a whale, a dog with long legs and tail, two llamas, various birds such as herons, pelican, gull, hummingbird and parrot. Reptiles include the alligator, iguana, and snake.
All geoglyphs are located on the map, with detailed names. Click to enlarge
So who did create the Nazca geoglyphs? locals or aliens? It's a giant solar and moon calendar or landmarks spaceship? It is impossible to know the answers to these questions, since the Nazca lines are one of the largest
In 1939 an American archaeologist Paul Kosok flying over Nazca desert, found strange lines and shapes. Previously, no one guessed about them, because they can only be clearly seen with enough high altitude. From that moment began the study of strange figures. German Doctor of Archeology Maria Reiche dedicated her whole life to it. She also achieved the protection of the lines from destruction at the very high level. Now lines And geoglyphs Nazca are a monument of the World cultural heritage UNESCO.
Thanks to the desert climate over the centuries, the drawings have not disappeared, although they are very easily destructible: after all, they are just a removed top layer of soil. But there is something to protect the lines from. Lines that have held out for centuries can easily be destroyed by man, because both cars and people leave noticeable traces on the surface. And the route passing right through some geoglyphs Pan Americana Sur poses an even greater threat.
Many of the lines stretch for more than 8 kilometers in length, and the figures can reach a size of 250 meters. In the photo below - circular (360 degrees) photo panorama Nazca's desert high resolution taken from a hill near the highway.
Currently, about 30 main and hundreds of lesser known drawings are known, about 700 geometric figures, most of which are spirals, and about 13,000 lines of various geometries. No less interesting geoglyphs were also discovered north of Nazca - near the city Palpa. Due to their obvious similarity, we will describe them together.
The main geoglyphs of Nazca
On the map below, we have highlighted the most famous geoglyphs - drawings of the Nazca desert. You can also see numerous lines on the map. Please note: the figure "Astronaut" is made at a great distance from the rest - on the map at the bottom right, moreover, on a hillside and in a different manner, this may indicate a different nature of origin compared to other geoglyphs.
Types of Nazca and Palpa figures
Conventionally, all the figures of both the Nazca desert and the Palpa desert can be divided into 6 types according to geometry:
Mysteries of Nazca and Palpa
- Overlay oddities. Repeatedly intersecting, overlapping lines, figures and drawings refute the theory that the drawings were made later than the lines. Because somewhere the drawings are above the lines, and somewhere vice versa. But something else is strange: the drawings and lines located on top do not destroy the drawings and lines that are below them.
- Passage through terrain. If you observe the view from space, then all the lines look absolutely smooth. But if you take pictures from an airplane, you can see that often the lines pass through rough terrain. In this case, it is not clear how it was possible to make lines so accurately not from a height, but while on the ground.
- Drawing style. Almost all drawings are made with one line, which does not intersect anywhere. The manner in which the drawings are made strongly resembles the manner in which zigzags, spirals and parallel lines- as if they were drawn with one beam under the control of a computer program.
- Location of drawings. Almost all drawings are parallel or at right angles to nearby lines.
- Incoming and outgoing drawing lines. Many drawings such as hummingbird, Spider, Monkey, are drawn not as a closed line, but from somewhere outgoing and returning somewhere, as if the drawings were drawn "at the same time" with the lines. Often such entrances and exits are located in the genital area of the depicted animals.
- Location of drawings. Nazca and Palpa - not the only places lines. The lines are scattered across the desert part of almost all of Peru, many hundreds of kilometers from Nazca. Well known geoglyph " Chandelier"located in Paracas and clearly visible from the Ballestas Islands.
- Interdependence of drawings. Thin lines suddenly turn into wide ones, the line can be continued with a pattern, and a wide line ends at the intersection of another wide one.
- Relief dependency. The thickening of the lines often comes with a decrease in the level of the ground. Thick lines often break at the foot of mountains or rivers. And some wide lines are located on the mountains and, as it were, cut off their tops, which are almost perfectly even.
- Rows of embankments. The purpose of the rows of points - embankments is not clear. In some places they fill wide lanes.
- Unexplored artifacts. In the region of the lines there are many strange formations - square and round depressions, geometrically evenly located rock formations that scientists have not yet explored. Therefore, until this is done, it is difficult to give the final versions of the purpose of the drawings.
- Except for the lines, there are no traces. To draw such lines from the ground, you need to use some kind of device, you need the presence of people. All this would leave technological traces. Today you can observe distinct traces of cars and people. Even, for example, after Greenpeace carried out its unsuccessful campaign and left traces, which greatly angered the Peruvians. But the ancient lines have no traces, except for the lines themselves.
The lines represent a removed layer of soil from 20 to 50 cm. But there are no mounds nearby - only very minimal ones, and there are no heaps of stones in the distance. And on smooth turns of wide lines when clearing, the sides on the outer circumferences of the side should be wider than on the inner ones. In addition, it should be understood that in order to draw some large stripes, you need to remove thousands of tons of such rubble from the surface.
Versions of scientists
There are several main versions of the origin and purpose of the Nazca lines and geoglyphs. And all of them are quite controversial.
- astronomical version. The German researcher Maria Reiche, who devoted her life to the study of figures, came to the conclusion that the drawings were made by someone who lived in this area about 2000 years ago. This is evidenced by the drawings on their ceramic dishes, similar to geoglyphs. Radiocarbon analysis proves approximately the same time period for the appearance of geoglyphs. The drawings, according to Reiche, represent a large astronomical calendar, an observatory under open sky. The calendar served to determine the time of agricultural work. Doctor Phillips Pitlugi, for example, claims that the image of a spider and lines diverging from it resembles a cluster of stars in the constellation Orion. Modern scholars (starting with the American Gerald Hawkins) dispute this version, arguing that there are so many lines that, of course, one can find those that resemble the arrangement of stars. But what to do with the rest is not clear.
- Religious version. This version does not dispute the version of origin, but considers release rites to be the destination. For example, shamans walked along these strips and called out to the souls of the dead. Or the inhabitants of Nazca tried in this way to turn to the gods so that they would give water in the form of rains. After all, the Nazca civilization, presumably, died out precisely because of climate change, which gradually dried up previously fertile lands.
- Alien scan. This version assumes that the lines and drawings, except for the clearly anthropomorphic ones ("Family", "Lamas"), are drawn from a great height - only in this case they could be so even. It is also assumed that it was used computer program who could draw such perfectly balanced figures. Perhaps alien creatures took soil samples, this is evidenced by zigzags and spirals. And thick lines can indicate the collection of minerals from the surface. For example, iron ore is present in the stones on the surface of the desert. There is another interpretation of this version. An antediluvian civilization, not aliens, was looking for cities buried under the layers of villages, scanning the area from a height. The fact that a mudflow has passed in this area is indicated by the composition of the desert soil: rounded stones in clay, and in some places peaks stick out former mountains. Also, the ruined buildings of the city tell a lot about the flood.
- Alien ships. This version says that the lines were runways. However, it is not clear why there are so many of them, why in such a viscous soil, and why then drawings and zigzags. And no traces of a possible takeoff and landing were found. But it can be assumed that the numerous lines in the sand - scanning in order to find a place for landing or taking off ships, and since the soil is soft - the scanning continued further until it was found perfect place- in the solid mountains of Palpa. This version is supported by the fact that it is there that the stripes are not the removal of a couple of tens of centimeters from the surface of the soil, but as if the top of the mountain was deliberately cut and leveled.
How to observe
The best way to watch the Nazca and Palpa lines is, of course, from the plane. If you have purchased a tour to Peru, please note that the flight over the Nazca lines is included. Then you don't have to worry about organizing it. Those who travel on their own should pay attention to the fact that you need to sign up for a flight at least a day in advance. At the same time, you can spend the night in Nazca, Ica or Paracas - they are closest to the geoglyphs.
The second option is economical. When you drive along Panamericana Sur, there are two places to look out for. If you go from the south, then the first place is Hill next to which there is a parking lot. Our photo-panorama was just taken from the hill (at the beginning of the article). Plus observation from the hill - unlike flying by plane, the lines can be seen very close. In addition, some lines are very clearly visible from the hill.
Well, the third option is a little further north along the Panamericana Sur. This is on purpose, even under Maria Reichel, made tower, with which you can see 3 figures. On the one side hands And tree, and on the other - from afar the tip reptiles. Near the tower, various souvenirs dedicated to the lines and geoglyphs of Nazca are sold. The entrance to the tower is paid.
You can visit the drawings of Palpa, we drive a little further north, but for their observation it is better to leave the Panamericana Sur.
The Nazca Desert is located in the department of Ica in the south of Peru, between the Ingenio and Nazca rivers. This is an area of 500 square kilometers, covered with huge images of people and animals, lines, spirals and geometric shapes, the size of which reaches up to 300m in length. These signs are so huge that they can only be seen from an airplane. However, today everyone can admire the mysterious symbols without leaving home, it is enough to run any program on the computer that demonstrates satellite imagery Earth. Desert coordinates - 14°41"18.31"S 75°07"23.01"W.
The mystery of the Nazca desert was discovered in 1927, when a Peruvian pilot flying over a desert valley in southern Peru saw that the land was drawn with long lines and painted with images of animals. Such geometric patterns appeared on the Nazca plateau during the Nazca civilization. It belongs to the pre-Columbian civilizations, II-IV centuries BC.
Geoglyphs are a big mystery, because no one knows why the representatives of the disappeared without a trace ancient civilization Indians painted huge paintings visible only from the air. The images seem to be scratched into the sparse, stony soil of the desert. At first glance, they are hardly distinguishable and represent a chaotic plexus of lines drawn by someone on the reddish surface of the desert, but from a bird's eye view, this randomness makes sense.
Despite the fact that geoglyphs were discovered in the last century, the purpose of these amazing drawings is still unknown. Researchers A. Krebe and T. Mejia consider them part of the ancient irrigation system. T. Mejia also later also later suggested that the images are connected with the holy path of the Incas. Some signs, such as mounds of stones at the intersections of the lines, indicate that the figures were used for cult purposes.
P. Kozok, who visited the Nazca Valley in 1941, drew attention to the special role of lines in the rays of the setting sun during the summer solstice and called these lines the largest astronomy textbook on earth. Later, this theory was developed by the German researcher M. Reiche in her research. In her opinion, some of the geometric figures symbolize the constellations, and the images of animals - the location of the planets.
The study of astronomy for ancient civilizations had great sense. Among other things, it had practical function- helped to predict rainy periods important for agriculture, but archaeologist H. Lancho suggested that the drawings are maps showing the way to life important places, for example, to underground water sources.
The most incredible and at the same time the most popular theory belongs to the famous Swiss explorer Erich von Daniken. He suggested that the images are nothing more than markings on the earth's surface for aliens from other planets.
No less surprising is another hypothesis, according to which the representatives of the ancient Nazca civilization mastered aeronautics, which is why the drawings are distinguishable only from a height. In support of this theory, several dark spots that are present on the surface of the plateau are interpreted as traces of fires on the sites for balloons. In addition, the pottery of the Nazca Indians has patterns reminiscent of Balloons or kites.
The exact age of the geoglyphs is unknown. According to the results of archaeological research, the images were created in different periods. The earliest, most straight lines appeared probably in the sixth century BC, the latest - drawings of animals - in the first century AD.
Scientists have proven that the figures were created by hand. The drawings were drawn on the surface of the desert in the form of furrows 130 cm wide and 50 cm deep. On dark soil, the lines form white stripes. Since the light lines heat up less than the surrounding surface, there is a difference in pressure and temperature, which leads to the fact that the lines do not suffer during sandstorms.
Who and why painted these pictures on the surface in ancient times, distinguishable only from a great height, still remains a mystery. A huge number of theories have been put forward, but none of them has yet received scientific confirmation.
The Nazca geoglyphs in Peru, created many centuries before the rise of the Inca Empire, are the most important evidence of the existence of a mysterious ancient culture in Peru. These lines and geoglyphs, drawn in one continuous line, are located on the Nazca plateau and reach tens of meters in length, so they are visible only from the air.
The German scientist Von Daniken, in his book "An Answer to the Gods", claims that these lines were created as signals for the landing of alien spacecraft. And the German doctor of archeology Maria Reiche called these patterns a strange confirmation of the existence of the ancient Peruvian culture:
“The Nazca lines are nothing but the documented history of ancient Peruvian science. The ancient inhabitants of Peru created their own alphabet to describe the most important astronomical events. The Nazca lines are the pages of a book written in this strange alphabet.”
From the air, you can observe various figures such as large giant spiders, lizards, llamas, monkeys, dogs, hummingbirds, etc., not to mention zigzags and geometric designs. There are many unanswered questions regarding these lines. For example, how they remain intact after hundreds of years, or how they managed to be created in such sizes, accurately recreating all proportions.
In 1927, Mejia Hespe, a student of the famous Julio Tello, the father of Peruvian archeology, reported mysterious incomprehensible geoglyphs on the territory of the Peruvian plateau. Initially, this was not given any importance, scientists were engaged in research on other more significant areas, such as Machu Picchu
In the same year, a researcher from the United States, Paul Kosok, arrived in Peru, who was very attracted by the ancient history of Peru. On one of his first trips to the south of the country, he stopped at the top of a plateau and saw extensive lines on both sides of the road. After careful examination, he was amazed to find that one of the figures depicted the ideal form of a bird's flight. Kosok spent almost 20 years studying the Nazca lines, in 1946 he returned home, offering to study the drawings of the Nazca tribes to the German doctor of archeology Maria Reiche. Maria devoted her whole life to this work.
Maria Reiche studied Nazca lines for 50 years. She explained how these lines were used by ancient Peruvian astronomers - they were a giant solar and lunar calendar hidden in the sand, legends and myths of the locals.
The lines themselves are applied to the surface in the form of furrows up to 135 centimeters wide and up to 40-50 centimeters deep, while white stripes form on the black stony surface. The following fact is also noted: since the white surface is heated less than the black one, a pressure and temperature difference is created, which leads to the fact that these lines do not suffer in sandstorms.
The hummingbird has a length of 50 meters, the spider - 46, the condor has stretched from beak to tail feathers for almost 120 meters, and the lizard has a length of up to 188 meters. Such enormous dimensions of the drawings are admirable, almost all the drawings are made in this huge scale in the same manner, when the outline is outlined by one continuous line. The true shape of the images can only be observed from a bird's eye view. There is no such natural elevation nearby, but there are medium-sized hills. But the higher you rise above the plateau, the smaller these drawings become and turn into incomprehensible scratches.
Other animals captured by the Nazca include a whale, a dog with long legs and a tail, two llamas, various birds such as herons, a pelican, a seagull, a hummingbird and a parrot. Reptiles include the alligator, iguana, and snake.
All geoglyphs are located on the map, with detailed names. Click to enlarge
So who created Nazca geoglyphs? Locals or aliens? Is it a giant solar and lunar calendar or spaceship landmarks? It is impossible to know the answers to these questions, since the Nazca lines are one of the most big secrets in the world.
Nazca drawings are located on Nazca Plateau- one of the most mysterious places on Earth. It is located 450 km south of the capital Peru, between cities Nazca And Palpa. Here the whole territory is 500 sq. km. covered with lines and drawings of unknown origin. They are nothing special if you look at them standing next to each other.
Map of Nazca drawings
In 1553 Cieza de Leon first reported the Nazca drawings. From his words: “Across all these valleys and through those that have already been passed, a beautiful, big road Incas, and in some places among the sands signs are seen to guess the path laid.
ABOUTbezyan, Nazca drawing
The drawings were seen in 1939 when an airplane flew over the plateau. American archaeologist Paul Kosok. Huge contribution to research mysterious lines belongs to the German doctor of archeology Maria Reiche. Her work began in 1941. However, she was able to photograph the drawings from the air only in 1947, using the services of military aviation.
In 1994, the Nazca geoglyphs were listed world heritage UNESCO.
Tree and handsNazca drawing
Nazca Plateau occupies 60 kilometers and approximately 500 square meters of its territory is covered with a tie of strange lines that form into bizarre figures. The main mystery of Nazca - geometric figures in the form of triangles and more than thirty huge drawings animals, birds, fish, insects and people unusual look. All images on the surface of Nazca are dug in sandy soil, the depth of the lines varies from 10 to 30 centimeters, and the width of the stripes can reach as much as 100 meters. The lines of the drawings stretch for kilometers, while not changing at all under the influence of the relief - the lines rise to the hills and descend from them, while remaining almost perfectly smooth and continuous. Who and why created these drawings - unknown tribes or aliens from outer space - there is still no answer to this question. To date, there are many hypotheses, but none of them can be a clue.
Dog, Nazca drawing
Whale, Nazca drawing
hummingbird has a length of 50 meters, spider — 46, condor extends from beak to tail feathers for almost 120 meters, and heron has a length of up to 188 meters. Nearly all the drawings are done on this huge scale in the same manner, with the outline outlined by one continuous line. Perfect straight lines and the stripes go beyond the horizon, crossing dried up river beds, climbing hills and at the same time not deviating from their direction (although modern geodetic methods do not allow a straight line up to 8 kilometers long to be drawn on rough terrain so that the deviation does not exceed 0.1 degrees) . The true shape of the images can only be observed from a bird's eye view. Such a natural elevation does not exist nearby, but there are semi-mountain humps. But the higher you rise above the plateau, the smaller these drawings become and turn into incomprehensible scratches.
hummingbird,Nazca drawing
Spider, Nazca drawing
Condor, Nazca drawing
Heron, Nazca drawing
What scientists managed to establish more or less accurately is the age of the images. Based on the ceramic fragments found here and the analysis of organic remains, they found that between 350 BC. and 600 AD there was a civilization here. However, this theory cannot be accurate either, since the objects of civilization could have been brought here much later than the appearance of images. One theory says that these are the works of the Nazca Indians who inhabited the regions of Peru before the formation of the Inca Empire. The Nazca did not leave behind anything but burial places, so it is not known whether they had a written language and whether they “painted” the desert.
"Astronaut", Nazca drawing
The Nazca lines pose many questions to historians - who created them, when, why and how. Indeed, many geoglyphs cannot be seen from the ground, so it remains to be assumed that with the help of such patterns, the ancient inhabitants of the valley communicated with the deity. In addition to the ritual, the astronomical significance of these lines is not excluded.
