El cuento del ESTIGMA DE LA SERPIENTE INCA es parte de la trilogia de cuentos del libro EL ESPECTRO DE SARAH ELLEN ROBERTS Y OTROS RELATOS, puede adquirirla en la TIENDA KINDLE DE AMAZON
Chronicles of a man seeking his fate after Spanish conquest and the start of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
Las Líneas de Nazca son un conjunto de antiguos gyoglyphs tallados en el desierto del sur de Perú.
Desde el suelo, se ven como líneas blancas rayadas que se extienden por millas. Algunos son rectos y otros son flexibles.
Desde el aire, se revelan como dibujos gigantes de animales, incluyendo un mono, una araña y un colibrí.
El doodle de Google de hoy honra a una mujer que pasó su vida tratando de descubrir los misterios de las formas.
Maria Reiche fue una astrónoma, matemática y experta en geografía que fue presentada por primera vez a las Líneas de Nazca en 1941.
Fue seleccionada entre una gran cantidad de solicitantes para trabajar con el historiador Paul Kosok para tratar de descubrir qué significaban los símbolos y quién los había creado.
Se convirtió en la guardiana acérrima de las líneas de Nazca, que ahora es un sitio del Patrimonio Mundial de la ONU.
¿Quién fue María Reiche?
Reiche nació en Dresde el 15 de mayo de 1903 y estudió matemáticas, astronomía y geografía.
Después de viajar a Perú, quedó fascinada con las líneas y dedicó su vida a estudiarlas.
Usando una cinta métrica, sextante y brújula, midió casi 1000 líneas, investigando su orientación astronómica. Reiche descubrió que muchas de las líneas funcionan como marcadores para el solsticio de verano, y teorizó que sus constructores utilizaron las figuras como un calendario astronómico. Sin embargo, hoy se cree que han cumplido un propósito más ceremonial.
Al mapear el área (con la ayuda de la Fuerza Aérea Peruana), descubrió que las figuras representan 18 tipos diferentes de animales y aves, además de cientos de formas geométricas.
Reiche también se dedicó a la protección de las líneas. Con solo una escoba doméstica, protegía físicamente las figuras de personas y vehículos, además de recaudar dinero para su preservación general. Poco a poco, la "mujer que barrió el desierto" se hizo mundialmente conocida como la "Dama de las líneas".
La inmensa dedicación de Reiche la enamoró profundamente de la gente de Perú, tanto que en 1992 se le otorgó la ciudadanía peruana, y el aeropuerto de Nazca lleva su nombre.
Murió en la capital de Perú, Lima, en 1998, a la edad de 95 años. Hoy habría cumplido 115 años.
¿Cuáles son las líneas de Nazca?
Las Líneas de Nazca tienen unos 1.500 años de antigüedad. Las imágenes gigantes representan plantas y animales, incluido el colibrí, una araña y un mono.
Son tan grandes que solo se pueden apreciar completamente desde una gran altura, lo que provocó muchas teorías sobre cómo los crearon los creadores.
El gobierno peruano controla estrictamente las visitas al sitio, que se considera vulnerable.
Desbloquear el misterio masivo de líneas de nazca del Perú que data de 500 antes de Cristo, a las líneas de nazca que se han denominado como la "octava maravilla del mundo".
El Cóndor, uno de los 70 animal y vegetal geoglifos o "tierra dibujos." Los avances en tecnología han llevado a algunos sorprendentes descubrimientos en arqueología. Arqueología durante mucho tiempo ha elaborado a partir de otros campos, y recientemente drones y satélites se han convertido en tan importante una herramienta para los arqueólogos como una paleta y pala. De hecho, las iniciativas como globalxplorer, fundada por "espacio arqueólogo" Sarah parcak, permiten ciudadana los investigadores de conseguir en el trabajo por el análisis de imágenes de satélite para arqueológico características y para identificar los signos de saqueo de los sitios del patrimonio. Para su primer proyecto, voluntarios analizado imágenes de satélite en el Perú desierto. "Cuando estábamos a pensar en los países para ir a ... que tenía que ser un país que todo el mundo en el mundo sabe es importante", dijo parcak, que trabaja en la Universidad de Alabama en Birmingham. Para la tarea, que eligió una de arqueología más emblemáticos y enigmático sitios: las líneas de nazca, que a menudo es visto como la octava maravilla del mundo. ¿Cuáles son las líneas de nazca? ilkerender / flickra humanoide figura apodado "el astronauta." Las líneas de nazca, se hace referencia como geoglifos o "tierra dibujos," se caracterizan por una masiva serie de las líneas que ejecutar paralelo para miles al mismo tiempo que se ondulado y entrecruzan. A menudo la forma en uno de más de 300 diferentes patrones geométricos incluyendo 70 de plantas y animales formas. Quizás el más conocido y intrigante aguafuerte es que la de un humanoide figura apodado "el astronauta." En 2018, globalxplorer enviado drones durante los 37 millas de largo y de una Milla de ancho del desierto lienzo donde estas líneas están grabados entre los incas y nazca Valles. En sus conclusiones, que descubrió más de 50 de nueva planta dibujos en el lado provincia de palpa. El uso de baja altitud drone fotografía capturado líneas invisible al ojo humano. A pesar de algunas de las nuevas geoglifos se atribuye a la enigmático nazca cultura que dominaron la zona de entre 200 y 700 después de Cristo, los arqueólogos creer muchos fueron formado por los principios de Paracas y topara culturas a partir de 500 antes de Cristo 200 después de Cristo hay diferencias entre los geoglifos del nazca y la de Paracas culturas en particular, mientras que el topara cultura era una transición de la cultura entre los dos. Mientras que el de nazca geoglifos son principalmente discernible desde el cielo, la Paracas cifras fueron grabadas en laderas por lo que podría ser vistos desde los pueblos de abajo. Además, el Paracas grabados principalmente representan los seres humanos en los predominante líneas rectas de nazca. A pesar de los nuevos descubrimientos, fascinación restos se centró en las líneas de nazca. Para crear las líneas de nazca las personas han eliminado 12 a 15 pulgadas de oscuro, óxido de color tierra a revelar un crudamente contrastada de color claro de arena. Estos esquemas han permanecido en gran medida inalterado durante los últimos 2.000 años debido a estable las condiciones climáticas en la región.
¿Qué las líneas de nazca decir? Wikimedia commonserich Von daniken que propone que las líneas de nazca son una antigua aeropuerto para extraterrestres. La forma en que se hicieron es suficientemente claro, pero ¿por qué se les hizo sigue siendo un misterio. Parecen se han hecho de ser interpretado de alta por encima de la tierra. Estaban mensajes a sus dioses, una especie de astrológico calendario, o algo por completo? Los investigadores han formulado una serie de las teorías de alrededor de su significado ya que el líneas de nazca se re-descubierto en los tiempos modernos por peruano arqueólogo Toribio meija xesspe en 1926. el 22 de junio, 1941, a sólo un día después de que el solsticio de invierno, americano historiador Paul kosok dado cuenta de la puesta de Sol en directo alineación con una de las líneas. Kosok dijo que había tropezado en el más grande libro astronomía del mundo.
En 1946, su estudiante y matemática alemána Maria Reiche y el arqueólogo, kosok desarrollaron ideas de que la llanura de nazca fue una gran Observatorio y las líneas señalan a los cuerpos celestes que se establece en el horizonte. Por desgracia, la teoría se refutada 1968 American astrónomo Gerald Hawkins, que encontró que sólo unas pocas líneas correspondía con energía solar, lunar, y estelar alineaciones, que probablemente se produjo por casualidad.
A continuación, por lo menos algunos mínimo de la razón era suplantado de Suiza pseudoarchaeologist y vendido de autor Erich Von daniken en su 1968 libro carros de los dioses. Se utiliza el líneas de nazca como una parte de una elaborada - aunque ridículo que suena la teoría - que antigua sociedades había Estado en contacto con la avanzada Alien razas que les enseñó todo lo que sabía. Von daniken la teoría de que las líneas de nazca fueron un extraterrestre aeropuerto para estos extranjeros. Absurdamente suficiente, la idea en realidad se originó en broma de kosok que en 1947 escribió: "cuando primera vista desde el aire, [las líneas] se apodado prehistóricos aterrizaje campos y bromeando en comparación con el llamado canales en Marte." El extranjero hipótesis no murió por mucho desde entonces con basado en Internet conjetura, serie de televisión, tales como la antigua los extranjeros, y una gran cantidad de libros de auto-estilo OVNI los investigadores. Sin embargo, más recientemente, algunos investigadores han atribuido las líneas de rituales para obtener más precipitaciones en la región sólo experiencias unos 20 minutos de precipitación anual. Las líneas y trapecios puede parecer ser relacionados con el agua y pidiendo a los dioses de lluvia. 1988, Johan Reinhard, un ex National Geographic Explorer en residencia, compilado significados posibles detrás específicos bimorphs. Dibujo en animales simbolismo se encuentran en los Andes, ha conjeturado que las arañas, colibríes, y monos representan la lluvia, fertilidad, y una gran cantidad de agua, respectivamente. Pero la idea, al igual que el resto, se ha mantenido no probados.
It’s another one of those bucket list things that you just have to do. Even if you hate flying. Even if you get air sick. Even if you just spent an evening reading all the news articles of planes which had recently crashed over the Nazca lines killing everyone on board. It’s just one of those things.
Not going to say I didn’t have a small panic attack first though.
You may have read our recent post about traveling from Cusco to Huacachina and how to do it safely. Haucachina is a beautiful little tourist enclave around a lagoon and surrounded by majestic sand dunes. But that wasn’t the reason why I spent so much time getting us from one side of Peru to the other. The reason for the effort was the Nazca lines.
There are two ways that you can see the lines; from the air, or from a viewing platform. If you choose the viewing platform you need to drive quite a distance from Huacachina and then you can only really see one or two of the lines – and not even the most famous ones. They really are meant to be seen from the air – that is the reason the ancient Nazca culture created them right? As a homage to their gods (or aliens, or whatever), they certainly did not create these massive etchings in the desert for their own enjoyment. In fact, the existence of the lines was forgotten until flights started to operate in this area. They are so indistinguishable from land that a highway was even constructed through one of them.
So we chose the flying option. But wait – there are another two options. You can either fly out of Nazca airport, or from Ica airport. The Nazca option is the cheapest. You take a bus from Huacachina to Nazca airport (2 – 3 hours depending on traffic), go up for your 40 minute flight, and then bus home again. It ends up being a pretty full day, as you may end up waiting some time at the airport as well, but it will save you about $100.
The quicker option is to fly out of Ica airport. With this option you only need to take a taxi to the airport (20 minutes), and then you go up for a 1.5 hour flight (additional time to get from Ica to the Nazca line site), then you taxi home again. This option however is more expensive.
We were definitely not going to take a baby and a 4 year old up on one of the little airplanes – no matter what their safety record was. So Simon and I decided to split up our time and visit the lines separately. Simon went first. It was his job to suss out the air sickness and death probabilities. He survived. Simon went via Nazca airport and went up in one of the smaller planes – a little 4 seater plane.
He reported back that it wasn’t too bad – some people got sick, but the g force wasn’t too bad. Ok so. I can do it, right? It’s just the whole crashing and burning thing I need to worry about.
After much talking, worrying, and hyperventilating, I decided I had to do it. I mean, we had come all the way to Huacachina from Australia right? So on our last day in town I decided to do it. I couldn’t be away from Z for more than 2 – 3 hours since he is still breastfed, so I decided to spend the money and do my flight out of Ica. I also requested one of the 12 seater planes which are slightly more stable than the smaller ones.
When it came time to depart I got in a taxi which the travel agent had organized and went off to Ica airport. Ica airport has two counters – one for each company which operates Nazca flights, and there were two planes on the tarmac. After getting weighed (I had lost some weight too, yay!), I was given my boarding pass (which I took a photo of so that if I crashed that Simon would know which seat to find my remains in) I was sent to a small room where they were playing a documentary about the lines. Before the film was over (boo! It was interesting!) we were ushered to start the boarding process. We were given some safety briefings and then we boarded. We had been assigned seats according to weight, and luckily I was assigned one of the seats above the wing which is probably the more stable part of the plane.
And then we took off. The plane ride wasn’t that bad. There were a few points, yes, where my stomach rose into my throat. But generally it was OK. The plane did do some tight twists and turns to allow everyone on both sides of the plane to have an equal opportunity to see each line, and that was probably the worst of it. Although I must say, by the end of it, I was keeping my eyes firmly on the horizon and counting down the minutes until landing.
So did I puke?
NO! Half of the plane did though, so I was one of the lucky six who didn’t.
Safety standards have been improving in Peru due to some of the Nazca crashes in recent years, but things can change quickly here. I recommend doing your own research before getting on a Nazca line plane. But if you do decide to do it, the views are pretty incredible. Just what compelled these ancient people to etch lines into the desert? Hopefully some day we will know.
The Nazca Lines are a collection of unusual, large ancient geoglyphs etched into the high plateaus of the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. The largest are nearly a quarter-mile long and depict a variety of objects and shapes including more than 70 drawings of animals such as birds, fish, llamas, jaguars, and monkeys - many of which would have been unknown to inhabitants of the area. Some depict human-like entities. They cover an area about 170 square miles and are only visible from the air.
The drawings are believed to have been created sometime between 500 BC and 500 AD. They were made by gouging shallow lines about 6-inches deep into the ground, removing the natural iron oxide-coated reddish pebbles and exposing the grayish ground beneath. Because of the isolated location and dry, windless environment, the drawings have remained preserved for thousands of years.
The purpose of the lines is unclear. Some theorize they could be related to astronomy or cosmology meaning the area acted as a sort of observatory. Some believe they contain religious significance to the original artists. Some believe they are related to an ancient alien-influence culture attempting to communicate with the "people in the sky". Others believe they were drawn by aliens themselves, possibly in an attempt to communicate with others in the sky.
The overwhelming majority of people who travel to the town of Nazca, Peru come to see the famous Nazca Lines. We did too, exploring the Nazca Lines from the air and on the ground. But the area also has many archaeological sites that helped us understand a little bit about the Nazca people who were the ones behind those famous lines in the first place.
The Hummingbird, one of the most famous of the Nazca Lines.
The archaeological sites in Nazca, Peru
There are tour companies in Nazca (spelled Nasca in Peru) who will take you to the archaeological sites around the city, but we drove our truck (as usual).
Incredibly well-preserved mummies like these can be seen in situ at the Chauchilla Cemetery archaeological site near Nazca.
The Chauchilla Cemetery site (8 PEN or about US$2.50), in the desert about 20 miles (30 km) from town down a sand road in good condition, is a remarkable spot. Here more than 30 extremely well-preserved mummies can be seen in situ, still resting in their graves which have been excavated and opened for viewing.
The mummies at the Cahuchilla Cemetery still have hair and skin and many have long ropes of hair or fiber draped over them as well.
Mummies with pottery burial objects at the Chauchilla Cemetery archaeological site near Nazca.
A winding path connects the burial chambers where the skeletons of men, women, and children sit in a crouched position, their remains still covered in the textile shrouds they were buried in.
Researchers believe the cemetery was established in 200 AD and bodies were buried here over the next 600-700 years. Most of the bodies still have hair on their skulls and some are draped in what looks like long dreadlocks, but which may be twisted fibers. Many also still have skin on their bones thanks to the dry conditions and what may have been expert mummification work by the Nazca.
A worker restoring a tomb at the Chauchilla Cemetery.
There’s a small museum here as well which displays pottery and more mummies (Spanish only).
The mummified remains of a child in the small museum at the Chauchilla Cemetery archaeological site.
The Cahuachi archaeological site is about 20 miles (30 km) from Nazca. There are two routes to the site and both require nearly 10 miles of driving on a bad road. If you turn at the Mojoja Hotel sign you’ll be on a road that’s less washboarded, but much rockier than the other route. Pick your poison. Once at the site (free) you will likely be met by Pablo, the man who has been the caretaker of this remote site for more than 15 years.
Excavated building foundation at the remote (but worth it) Cahuachi archaeological site.
For a small tip Pablo will explain the basics about the more than 30 structures here (in Spanish) which are spread over a vast area which was believed to have been a ceremonial site or a pilgrimage site that flourished until it was abandoned in 500 AD. Then you’re free to walk around the excavated foundations and some re-constructed areas. Pablo believes the Nazca Lines point to the Cahuachi site.
Not far from Cahuachi is the Estaquieria site (free). There’s not a lot to see here except the jagged remains of more than 200 wooden posts which remain stuck in the ground at evenly spaced intervals. Did the posts support a massive roof? Were they used to chart the movement of the sun or the stars? Or were they, as some speculate, used to begin the mummification process?
Hundreds of wooden poles remain planted in the earth at the eerie Estaquieria archaeological site. Their use remains a mystery.
Looters around the Estaquieria archaeological site have dug up the earth, revealing bones, pottery shards, and even textiles.
Grave robbers have pillaged the area around the wooden pillars and bones, pottery shards, and pieces of fabric can be seen littering the ground. It’s an eerie site with a burned-out and deserted feeling. We saw no one else out there.
Just a few miles out of Nazca, the Aquaducto Cantalloc site (10 PEN or about US$3 which also gets you into the nearby Los Paredones and Las Agujas sites) is both beautiful and astounding.
These spiral constructions combine form and function at the Aquaducto Cantalloc site near Nazca.
Here the Nazca people meticulously engineered and built 21 spiral holes which descend into the ground. They look like the art of Earthworks artists like Robert Smithson and Andy Goldsworthy, but they served a very serious function.
Part of the ancient aqueduct system at the Aquaducto Cantalloc site.
Researchers believe these stone and earth spirals were part of an elaborate irrigation system along with a network of flumes and aqueducts. The system is still being used to irrigate nearby fields.
Karen at the bottom of one of the spirals at the Aquaducto Cantalloc site.
This aqueduct system is even more impressive from the air so check out our drone travel video footage, below.
One of the most accessible archaeological sites is Los Paredones (The Walls) which is near town on the side of the highway leading from Nazca to Puquio. Here a trail leads up and around a hill past some rebuilt structures and many low walls (hence the name).
Los Paredones was built by the Incas, not a Nazca site, in the 1400s and is thought to have been an administrative site between inland areas and the sea. The same 10 PEN (US$3) ticket also gets you into the nearby Aquaducto Cantalloc and Las Agujas sites.
Structures at the Los Paredones site were built by the Incas.
Just a few blocks from the central plaza in Nazca you will find the well-curated Museo Didactoco Antonini(15 PEN or about US$4.60). Inside is a great collection of pottery and textiles created by the Nazca people, much of it from the Pueblo Viejo, Estaqueria, and Cahuachi sites. Descriptions are all in Spanish. Visit the back garden to see sections of old aqueduct and some peacocks.
Part of the pottery collection at the Museo Didactoco Antonini in Nazca, Peru.
Se ha encontrado un "dibujo" masivo de una ballena asesina en las legendarias Líneas de Nazca de Perú. Podría ser la imagen más antigua jamás registrada en el sitio.
En 2013, los científicos encontraron lo que creían que era una representación enorme de una criatura marina a aproximadamente 250 millas al sur de Lima. Investigadores de la Comisión de Arqueología de Culturas No Europeas (KAAK) del Instituto Arqueológico Alemán colaboraron en el proyecto con otros socios, incluidos miembros del Instituto Andino de Estudios Arqueológicos (INDEA). Después de años de análisis, trabajo de restauración y debate, han confirmado que es una orca.
"Tal vez es el geo-glifo más antiguo de la era de Nasca", dijo Markus Reindel, arqueólogo de KAAK y jefe del proyecto Nasca Palpa, al periódico alemán Welt.
El geoglifo mide aproximadamente 200 pies de largo. Hay aproximadamente 1,500 más en la región, la mayoría de ellos datan de 200 aC. a 600 d.C. Además de su potencial para ser aún más viejo, la orca plantea varias preguntas inmediatas, como por qué un mamífero marino estaba siendo representado en el medio del desierto peruano. El geoglifo también presentaba misteriosos símbolos y una "cabeza de trofeo" que, según los teólogos, podría significar que la imagen tenía un propósito religioso.
Las partes de la imagen se crearon en relieve negativo, lo que significa que las áreas de suelo expuesto son las que forman las líneas reales, en lugar de pilas levantadas de piedras; este estilo es más indicativo de los geoglifos de Nazca más antiguos. Pero otras partes sí presentan una construcción de relieve positivo, que está más asociada con Paracas, una cultura separada e incluso más antigua. Las pruebas de suelo del geoglifo de la orca datan potencialmente de 200 aC. Es concebible que haya sido diseñado no solo por Nazca, sino también por los Paracas, quienes crearon geoglifos en este estilo desde aproximadamente el año 800 aC. a 200 aC
Una de las Líneas de Nazca en Perú (imagen representativa). Diego Delso / CC
Las líneas de Nazca fueron redescubiertas hace casi 100 años en el desierto del sur de Perú. Los geoglifos más grandes tienen más de 1,000 pies de largo. Su propósito sigue siendo un misterio; los arqueólogos piensan que pudieron haber sido religiosos (su tamaño colosal era mejor para ser visibles para las deidades del cielo), o quizás que eran herramientas para registrar la astronomía. La geógrafa María Reiche, que dedicó su vida a estudiar las líneas, creía que representaban constelaciones. Mientras tanto, su protegida pensó que representaban contra-constelaciones, no las estrellas, sino el espacio oscuro en el medio.
Crisscrossing the highland plains in western Bolivia is a network of thousands of near perfectly straight lines etched into the ground. These lines do not make any figures or shapes, but they go on remarkably straight for tens of kilometers. Whoever created them worked extremely precisely, which was not easy task in this hilly terrain with rocks, shrubs and other natural obstacles.
Named after the nearby volcano, the Sajama Lines lie under the shadow of Bolivia’s tallest peak. From the ground, the lines are practically invisible and easy to overlook. It’s only from the air that one can recognize the incomprehensible extent of what maybe the world’s largest prehistoric artwork.
Digitally enhanced satellite image of the Sajama Lines.
The Sajama Lines average between one and three meters wide, and run from a few meters to several kilometers. The longest of them are about twenty kilometers in length. They were created by scrapping away the dark oxidized surface rocks to expose the lighter soil beneath. Often, the lines radiate from a common area, usually somewhat elevated, allowing the lines to be seen more easily. Researchers think that these “radial centers” could be sites of ancient shrines, burial towers or even towns. One theory is that the lines were used by the indigenous people as guide when they made sacred pilgrimages. Indeed, some of the modern roads connecting towns appears to have been built upon these straight lines. Though the region is now sparsely populated there is evidence that some of the lines are still in use as footpaths.
In all, the Sajama Lines cover an area of approximately 22,000 square kilometers, which is about fifteen times larger than the famous Nazca lines in southern Peru. Rough estimates put their linear length at an astonishing 16,000 kilometers. Some consider the Sajama Lines to be the largest artwork in the world.
The sheer number of lines present and the relative area they cover suggest that they have been constructed over many generations spanning hundreds and maybe even thousands of years. The arid climate of the high altiplano, with its sparse rainfall and slow-growing vegetation, has kept the lines relatively intact.
Despite being located near the more popular Nazca Lines in Peru, very little research have been devoted to the Sajama Lines. It was only in 1932, that the first brief reference to the geoglyphs was made in English by the Argentine professor, Aimé Félix Tschiffely, who earned fame by riding on horseback from Argentina to New York City. That same decade, anthropologist Alfred Metraux brought the lines and associated structures to the attention of scholars through his ethnographic fieldwork about the Aymara and Chipaya people of the Carangas region.
The first scientific study of the lines were made in 2003 by the University of Pennsylvania, in association with a now-defunct organization called the Landmarks Foundation. Since then, no further studies appear to have been conducted. Aside from satellite images, there is not even a decent photograph of the lines available on the internet.
Digitally enhanced satellite image of the Sajama Lines.
Digitally enhanced satellite image of the Sajama Lines.
Digitally enhanced satellite image of the Sajama Lines.
The Nazca lines are still mysterious even after decades of being carefully studied. Archaeologists believe they know how they were made, but why they were made remains uncertain. Recently, researchers have suggested that the lines were related to fertility rituals involving the availability of water, but there are some people who still see something different in lines that are very long and straight. Some alternative thinkers argue that the straighter lines represent runways for ancient airports. Although it is possible that this is the case, the evidence found to support this position is insufficient so far.
Were the Nazca Lines Airports for Ancient Aliens?
The Nazca designs consist of a variety of figures. Some are recognizable as animals, such as spiders and monkeys, while others are more abstract. There is also a subset of figures that consist simply of straight lines. Some of them are built at the tops of hills and appear to stop at the edges of cliffs. Unlike the other designs that are clearly figural, these resemble runways in their length and straightness. This has led some fringe theorists to suggest that these lines were ancient air strips or airports. Some people even suggest that the lines made on hills were specifically created for launching gliders.
Nazca Lines, Nazca, Peru. (Diego Delso/ CC BY SA )
There are two main groups which say that these particular Nazca lines represent runways - those who believe that the Nazca geoglyphs were made by visiting extraterrestrials and those who believe that the Nazca people had flight technology and used it to make the lines. Proponents of both views point to the Tolima artifacts: gold figurines that sometimes resemble jet planes, as further evidence that ancient South Americans either possessed flight technology themselves or encountered flight technology produced by someone else, such as ancient aliens.
• Twenty Four more Ancient Geoglyphs Discovered in Nazca, Peru
• The Enigma of the Nazca Lines: Strange Theories and Unanswered Questions
Aerial view of the "Owlman" aka "Astronaut", the most enigmatic geoglyph of the Nazca Lines in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru.
Aerial view of the "Owlman" aka "Astronaut", the most enigmatic geoglyph of the Nazca Lines in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. (Diego Delso/ CC BY SA )
The main problem with the extraterrestrial explanation is that there is no other clear evidence that suggests alien visitation. There is no evidence of crashed spaceships, spacecraft parts, rare metal alloys not normally found on earth, or anything else that could not have come from this planet - no indisputable evidence at least. Furthermore, analysis of the lines shows they were made by delicately removing topsoil to create these designs. A spaceship landing would probably have disrupted this fragile configuration.
There is no evidence of parts of the lines being disrupted because of exhaust from landing spacecraft and you would expect such evidence to remain since the desert is not very windy. This is, in fact, why the Nazca lines have not been obscured by windblown material. Based on these facts, it is unlikely that extraterrestrials made any of the Nazca lines, including the alleged runways.
Artist's impression of UFOs over a desert.
Artist's impression of UFOs over a desert. ( Public Domain )
Runways for Forgotten Nazca Aircraft?
The Nazca lines would not have been hard for the Nazca people to make and experimental archaeology has shown that a team of people can make such lines within a few hours to a few days using only the technological means known to have been available to the ancient Nazca through archaeological evidence. As a result, Occam's razor is friendlier to the idea that the Nazca culture made the lines - we have evidence that they lived in the area at the time and could have constructed the lines - whereas we don't have evidence that extraterrestrials were ever present.
Since it is most likely the Nazca people themselves made all the lines, some fringe theorists have logically concluded that the Nazca civilization must have had flight and other advanced technology because of the supposed runways. Proponents of this view point to Nazca geoglyphs that look vaguely mechanical, resembling windmills and hooks, to bolster their case.
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Although this hypothesis is probably more likely, there are still problems with it. We must remember that just because a design looks one way to us, doesn't mean that it looked that way to the Nazca. For example, they may have been using a particular style of art to represent natural features such as plants and animals that just by coincidence causes them to resemble machines to us since we live in the age of machines.
