Nazca Lines

The Nazca lines are without a doubt one of earth´s great unsolved mysteries. Which makes it all that much more precious and intriguing and I hope no one ever does solve this incredible secret. The Nazca lines, located in the desert near the small town of Nazca in the south-west of Peru, are a series of ancient geoglyphs that have been carved into the dry land by removing pebbles and stones and creating shallow trenches, resulting in amazing designs in the ground that can only be appropriately witnessed from air. Due to the dry, windless and stable climate of the plateau, as well as its isolation (for the most part), the lines have been preserved. It is believed that the Naza lines were created by the Nazca culture between 400 and 650AD. 

To truly appreciate the magnificant and sheer uniqueness of what makes up the Nazca Lines we paid for a plane ride. Whilst the boy was spewing from motion sickness I absentmindedly patted his back and tried to keep the excitement of what we were witnessing off my face in order not to seem like the terrible girlfriend I am. But I couldn´t help it. We were zooming and soaring from side to side (I am really not surprised the boy was ill) in a tiny plane over vast desert landscapes to witness hundreds of meticuously carved out individual figures of both complex and simple stylized animals such as lizards, parrots, orcas, sharks, fish, monkeys, spiders, hummingbirds, and what is debated as to whether it is the figure of a human or an alien.  As well as the zoomorphic shapes there were geometric shapes, simple lines, and phytomorphic shapes such as trees and flowers. The largest figures have been measured at over 200 metres across and therefore can only really be appreciated from the air. In total, the Nazca lines encompass an area of 500 square kilometers, an enormous amount of land which lends an appreciation as to just how complex the task of creating the Nazca lines would have been for the Nazca culture over 1, 500 years ago. 

Whilst there has definitely been progress in the question as to how the Nazca lines were made (scholars credit this to simple tools and surveying equipment despite the incredible architectural and mathematical accurateness) there is great mystery surrounding the theories as to why they were made. Historians, architects, mathematicians, ethnologists, and of course anthropologists, all debate all sorts of theories ranging from the lines being geographical markers on the horizon to show where the sun and other celestial bodies rose; being a calender of sorts linked to the Mayan calender; being created by the Nazca people to be seen by their gods from the sky; representations of counter constellations, such as the shapes seen in the Milky Way; sacred paths leading to places where deities could be worshipped (such as those associated with the availability of water); representations of those deities themselves and animals and objects meant to bring success and productivity of crops; and many more,  including numerous theories ground in astronomy and cosmology.

Contrary to the popular belief that the lines and figures can only be seen with the aid of flight, they are visible from atop the surrounding foothills. However, they cannot be properly appreciated without the aid of flight and it is widely believed that the lines could not be made as intricate as they are without some form of manned flight to see the figures properly. Whilst there are minimal suggestions by scholars as to the use of hot air balloons to help create the Nazca lines, this theory is widely discredited due to the lack of evidence. 

Just to add a little more complexity to this mystery our guide pointed out how some of the animal shapes, such as the parrot and monkey, were definitely not found anywhere near the desert of the Nazca culture, the closest animals of this sort being the in the Amazon, approximately a thousand kilometers away. Furthermore, burial sites nearby of ancient graves from the Nazca times (where the locals still bury their dead close to these ancient graves), contain coca leaves, also only found hundreds of kilometers away. The ancient cemetery consists of mainly Shamans who, due to their high status in society, were buried surrounded by precious artifacts to help them along to their next life. We were fortunate enough to see some exposed graves where the skeletons of these magical men still had their long hair and fingernails, and were buried with evidence of coca leaves. Now, just in case you are not intrigued enough by this incredible conundrum, might I also add that the Nazca lines are aligned exactly on geographical geometric lines with Machu Picchu, The Great Pyramid of Egypt and Easter Island, and sits within one degree to Perseopolis, the capital city of ancient Persia; Mohenjo Daro, the ancient capital city of the Indus Valley; the lost city of Petra; the Ancient Sumarian city of Ur, and the temples of Angkor Wat.  

How´s that for a mystery?