The Nazca Lines

The Astronaut

When you hear the mention of the Nazca Desert, what first comes to your mind? It should be the Nazca Lines, which are a series of geoglyphs spread all throughout the Peruvian regions. According to the Wikipedia online definition, geoglyphs are defined as “drawings on the ground, or a large motif, (generally greater than 4 meters) or design produced on the ground, either by arranging clasts (stones, stone fragments, gravel or earth) to create a positive geoglyph (stone arrangement/alignment, petroform, earth mound) or by removing patinated clasts to expose unpatinated ground (negative geoglyph).

These geo-drawings in the ground are more concentrated among the plain areas of coastal Peru. This includes the following areas: Socos, San Jose (Jumana), El Ingenio, and other areas located south of Lima, Peru. The Nazca Lines were made famous and became a world tourist attraction in 1939, by Toribio Mejia Xespe. Although there are similar occurrences of other geoglyphs all around the world, including- Malta, Chile, Egypt, Bolivia, the United States (in the states of California and Mississippi), and in other countries as well. Because of the uniqueness, complexity, and vast numbers- the Nazca Lines are classified as an archeological group all of its own.

Design and Theory

The Nazca Lines are created by skillfully drawing, or carving, designs into the ground. The impressions made into the earth revealed the layer of ground beneath the top layer of ground covering. Because of the ferrous oxide composition, found within the pebble ground covering in the Nazca region, the shallow imprints take on a negative type effect when viewed from above. Surrounding desert terrain take on several different hues ranging from a reddish, grayish, or blackening tint- again as a result of the ferrous oxide composition found within the pebbles. The actual design can be compared to a photo negative, in that the object is revealed by viewing it in contrasting colors. The uniqueness in this technique is that the Nazca Lines are best viewed by using an aerial or birds eye view from the sky. Since the formations are believed to have been dated as far back as 200 BCE and 700 CE, in correlation to Nazca culture, the accuracy of design is impeccable considering the lack for technology during that time period.

There are three popular theories suggesting the origination of the Nazca Lines, which are:

• They were constructed in such a way that was pleasing to their aerial gods. That as part of religious deity worship, the lines served as sacred paths which lead the way to designated sites of worship. The animal or object design of the formation symbolizes invocation of- guardians, and/or focal points of worship or prayer.

• Geographical landmarks used to locate distant places, such as where the sun and other astronomical bodies were located.

• They were purposed for some unconfirmed ritualistic reason. Speculators think that they may have been used for fabricating textile pieces used in burial rituals; or may have been used to induce availability of water and crop fertility.

Most of the earlier drawings are more defined, in comparison to other geoglyphs, and are speculated to have resulted from religious ceremony and/or ritual. Scientists and leading experts believe that the definition may be a result of ceremonial process or ritual, because stones and gravel interfering with the line contours have been removed to maintain a clear image. Since these designs are so complex and large (the largest is recorded to be as big is 200 meters across), it would take a significant amount of time to clear any rock and other debris from marring the image.

Adding to the uniqueness factor, the regional weather conditions create the perfect environment for design preservation. The extent of design variety notably changes in correspondence to the changes in cultural eras. Some of the designs have been restored by Maria Reiche, along with teams of other collaborators, in efforts to preserve the clarity and original condition of each design. To this day, these preservation efforts are still an ongoing project of maintenance.

Popularized Varieties

The drawings have no template for design, so each is unique from one another. They range in variation from- animate and inanimate objects such as:

• Simple geometric shapes and forms- i.e. triangles, spirals, wavy a line, angles, rectangles, bunches, concentric circles, converging lines and angles, geometric planes, etc.

• Figures and objects such as- plants, animals, and anthropomorphic (suggestion of human characteristics of animals or inanimate things) figures.

* Popular anthropomorphic figure designs are:

- The Astronaut, discovered in 1982 by Eduardo Herran, which has a length of 32m.

- The Man with a Hat (primitive origin)

- The Executioner (primitive origin)

- Miscellaneous deformed animals and strange figures, i.e. drawing of a being with two

monstrous hands of unproportional size (one normal, and the other with four fingers)

• Man-made objects, i.e. looms, tupus (ornamental clasps), and yarn.

• Famous Nazca Lines:

The Pelican

The Monkey

The HummingBird

The Dog

The Spider