The Secret Message Behind the Mysterious Nazca Lines

According to archaeologists, the mysterious Nazca Lines are believed to have been created by the Nazca people, which flourished in the region between the 1st and 8th century A.D. The lines were formed by the careful removal of the reddish iron-oxide pebbles that make up the desert surface. Once exposed, the underlying dirt, which contains high amounts of lime, hardened and resistant to erosion.

The reason these lines survived so long is that of the weather conditions in the region, there is little rain and wind is almost nonexistent so if you go to Nazca today, and draw something on the ground it will remain there for quite some time.

The mystery is if the ancient Nazca people created these drawings, to what purpose did they do it. You can truly appreciate the greatness of these figures from the sky, but at the time they created them, airplanes didn’t exist, so for who did they design this? They would have needed something or someone to guide them because these lines are precise, they are very accurate, and it’s hard to believe that the Nazca could achieve such accuracy in their drawings without having a way to observe what they were doing, they needed to be guided somehow.

Could have extraterrestrials been the reason for the Nazca lines? Some of the parts of Nazca have amazing designs highly accurate triangles that are a mystery. Some of the triangles look like they were made by something that pressed the ground down at least 30 inches with incredible force, now could the ancient Nazca have done this? With their feet? How would you press down a six-mile “perfect” triangle into the desert?

According to the myth recorded by Juan de Betanzos, Viracocha rose from Lake Titicaca (or sometimes the cave of Pacaritambo) during the time of darkness to bring forth light. One of the most intriguing designs of Nazca, without a doubt, is the one which represents a Spider.

The Spider has one leg extended way out. Curiously, if you take that geoglyph and if you were to flip and turn it, so it displays the mirror effect, what you would observe is that the Nazca spider is representing the Constellation of Orion, and the long spiders leg is representing the brightest star in the sky, Sirius which is also one of Earth’s nearest neighbors.

What you have here is a depiction of a spider, which can only be seen from the sky, and that represents stars and constellations. Whoever designed these intricate geoglyphsat Nazca had an excellent knowledge of Astronomy and geometry, and like many other ancient cultures around the world, the Nazca also knew that Orion and Sirius were important, almost as if the geoglyphs was their way of paying respect to the stars.

According to statements, experts from the University of Dresden studied the Nazca lines. They measured the magnetic field and found changes in the magnetic field under some of the geoglyphs at Nazca. Electrical conductivity was also measured by scientists at Nazca where tests were performed at the Nazca lines, and next to them and the results showed that electric conductivity was 8000 higher on the lines than next to them.

What makes Nazca so special? Well, Nazca has everything. It is a mineral-rich environment. Nitrates and various things that we use in our modern propulsion are found in abundance. The Nazca were located in a nitrate-rich environment, but as far as research has shown, they did not need it.

The the question might be, whether nitrate was of special importance to “otherworldly” visitors that could have visited Nazca in the past. In today’s technology, nitrate is used in a lot of interesting things; technology is perhaps number one as even today we have certain interest in nitrate because it is used in space travel.

Nazca holds infinite mysteries, we still need to explore this gigantic display of creativity and geometry. One thing is certain, this area of Peru will continue to be an area of huge interest to archaeologists, scientists, and historians.

They mysterious Nazca Lines of Peru - Altered Dimensions Paranormal

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.

Below are a sampling of the Nazca Lines drawings.

Nazca lines

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.

Imagen de la Orca descubierta en las lineas de Nazca

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.

Ancient Runways and Flying Fish: Did the Nazca Culture Take Flight?

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.

  •  New Study suggests Nazca Lines formed Ancient Pilgrimage Route to Cahuachi Temple

  •  Greenpeace treads on ancient Nazca lines site to urge renewable energy

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.

Sacred Roads, Spirit Animals or Water Sources? The Perplexing Purpose of the Nazca Lines

The Nazca civilization thrived from 200 BC to about 600 AD in the arid plains of southern Peru. The Nazca practiced extensive irrigation at their main population centers and built two major urban complexes whose ruins remain to this day. The Nazca are also known for their exquisite pottery and textiles. What they are most famous for are the geoglyphs commonly referred to as the Nazca lines. There have been many attempts to explain their intended purpose ranging from being depictions of constellations to the idea that they were runways for ancient airports. Today, the most likely explanation for the Nazca lines based on available evidence is that they were paths to be traveled during religious processions.

The Nazca Lines are located in the Pampa region of Peru. This ASTER sub-image covers an area of 14 x 18 km, was acquired on December 22, 2000. Image Credit:, NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

The Ancient Nazca World

Nazca civilization was made up of autonomous chiefdoms which would come together occasionally for a common cause. Because of this, there was no political centralization. This is reflected in the lack of town planning or large centralized projects. Another example of this would be that newer Nazca geoglyph designs often overwrite and ignore older ones, suggesting that they were built by different groups at different times for different purposes and that there was no central planning authority for them.

  •  Ten Amazing and Mysterious Geoglyphs from the Ancient World

  •  Ancient rock lines created by enigmatic Paracas culture predate Nazca geoglyphs

  •  The unknown origins of the incredible Sajama Lines of Bolivia

Nazca Lines, Nazca, Peru

Nazca Lines, Nazca, Peru ( CC BY SA 4.0 )

The Nazca civilization consisted of two major urban centers, a civil capital of sorts at Ventilla and a religious or ceremonial capital at Cahuachi. Ventilla consisted of terraced residential areas and courtyards. Also within the settlement is a network of underground aqueducts and cisterns to maintain a steady flow of water in the parched desert surrounding it.

Cahuachi consists of numerous sacred mounds the largest of which is the called The Great Temple. The Cahuachi complex is the much larger of the two, stretching across 11 square kilometers instead of only 2 square kilometers for Ventilla. The reason that this was a sacred site may have been because it was one of the few places in Nazca territory with a perpetual water source.

The Nazca civilization prospered briefly. Nazca burial sites have been found with feathers of exotic rainforest birds as grave goods. Llama and alpaca wool has also been found at various Nazca sites even though llamas and alpacas typically cannot survive in the arid climate in which the Nazca lived. This suggests that the Nazca had an extensive trade network reaching into most of the major climate zones of Peru including the desert, the highlands, and the rainforests.

Nazca lines including Hummingbird picture ( CC BY 2.0 )

The Nazca civilization experienced a severe drought in the 5th century AD which left the Nazca weakened. They were eventually conquered by the Wari. The Nazca continued to persist after the arrival of the Wari but only as a conquered people. Nonetheless, the Nazca left marks on the landscape of southern Peru that far outlived the dominance of either the Nazca or the Wari - the mysterious Nazca lines.

Nazca by Design

Scholars all agree that it was the Nazca who made the Nazca lines. The designs seen in the Nazca lines also appear on Nazca pottery and textiles, for example. There are some who insist that it would take aircraft to make the Nazca lines. This is why there have been suggestions in the past that the Nazca lines were built by extraterrestrials or Atlanteans with airplanes or dirigibles. Experimental archaeology has, however, shown that the Nazca lines are very easy to make using the tools that were available to the stone aged Nazca. They can be made simply by creating a path through the desert by removing the oxidized rocks that cover the top of the desert to reveal the lighter colored terrain beneath. The designs seen in the Nazca lines can also be constructed within a few weeks with the right amount of coordination without the use of aircraft.

Double-Spout and Bridge Vessel showing typical Nazca design. Peru, South Coast, Nazca, 100 BC - AD700

Double-Spout and Bridge Vessel showing typical Nazca design. Peru, South Coast, Nazca, 100 BC - AD700 ( Public Domain )

What Possible Purpose?

Although it is generally agreed that the Nazca people made the lines, there has been a lot of disagreement over why they made them. Archaeologists and anthropologists have proposed many theories over the years, including; astronomical and cosmological purposes, directions to water sources, flow of water, weaving patterns (or even used as a giant loom with extremely long treads), athletics track, enormous hieroglyphic writing, representations of gods, tribes or spirit animals, work therapy, a map of some sort. There is also a following for the belief that they are some sort of alien spaceship runway.

Satellite Images May Have Solved the Mystery of Peru's Nazca Lines

Lovers of ancient wonders and viewers of History Channel’s Ancient Aliens, I have bad news for you. One of the Earth’s great mysterious man-made monuments may not be the handiwork of visitors from a galaxy far, far away after all, much to the chagrin of conspiracy theorists. Stories about ancient hot air balloons and snapshots of alien visits recorded in stone may be convenient for the sake of explaining Nazca’s incredible images of geometric plants and animals, a well-preserved, large-scale series of geoglyphs carved into the Peruvian desert which can only be seen in their entirety from above. But now, new satellite imagery may shed light on the UNESCO World Heritage site’s true purpose: water irrigation.

In a recent episode of Motherboard’s podcast “Science Solved It,” senior researcher Rosa Lasaponara of the National Research Council in Rome tells Vice that satellite images of the site link the unusual designs - which are believed to have been created between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D. - to a series of spiral-shaped holes nearby called puquios. The holes, she says, were used for irrigation, and fed into an intricate underground aqueduct system that allowed the Nazca “to transform the desert into a garden.”

Further evaluation of the satellite imagery, which can detect not only existing formations on the surface but the remnants of former structures as well, suggest that the Nazca built a sophisticated system of settles and canals in the region, and that the landscape would have appeared far more cultivated and lush than arid desert it is today.

Puquios - spiral-formations dug into the ground - can be found near Peru's famous Nazca lines. Wikimedia Commons

On the million dollar question - why did the Nazca create their giant designs, and for whom? - Lasaponara believes that the imagery may have been a way to give thanks to the gods for bringing water to the valley.

Also appearing on Motherboard’s podcast is Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras, who provide background on three of the more outlandish, but still widely popular, theories about the lines, some of which postulate the imagery was a marking system for astrological phenomenon, meditative ceremonial walking paths or an artistic collaboration between the Nazca and visiting aliens.

“If you only look at it in one framework, that it’s a giant carving to be seen from above, you get completely hung up on trying to figure out how it was possible,” Thuras told Vice. “But if you understand its relation to water sources, it doesn’t seem so impossible.”

Alas, Lasaponara and her colleagues findings suggest an even more exiciting possibility than aliens, if such a thing is possible: that the Nazca were a far more sophisticated civilization than previously believed.