The mysteries of the Nazca lines uncovered

born bird

Among the towns of Nazca and Palpa in Peru is one of the most popular archaeological mysteries of all time. In this desert, one of the driest on the planet, there is a set of gigantic geoglyphs only visible from a certain height, which form animal, human and geometric figures. They were created by the Nazca culture between 200 BC and 600 AD and since archaeologists began to study them in the XNUMXs, dozens of theories about their origin and meaning have emerged.

The different hypotheses about Nazca

monkey in nazca

At first, archaeologists thought that the Nazca lines were only simple paths, but over time other theories gained strength that held that "Places of worship" created to please the god of heights.

Today we know that the Nazca inhabitants created the geoglyphs by removing the stones from the surface so that the white sandstone underneath could be seen. Furthermore, thanks to several researchers from Yamagata University in Japan we know that there are four different types of shapes that tend to be grouped in different routes with the same destination: the pre-Inca city of Cahuachi. Today only one pyramid remains standing, but during its heyday it was a first-rate pilgrimage center and capital of the Nazca culture.

According to Japanese archaeologists, the Nazca figures were built by at least two cultures different with different techniques and symbols, which can be seen in the geoglyphs that trace the path from their area of ​​origin to the city of Cahuachi.

nazca spider

They also discovered that the drawings changed notably in the region closest to the Nazca Valley and the route that goes from there to Cahuachi. In that area there is a different style of images, characterized above all by showing supernatural beings and heads as if they were trophies. A third group of geoglyphs probably formed by both groups is found on the Nazca plateau, the space that is halfway between both cultures.

According to Japanese archaeologists the use of the Nazca figures was changing over time. At first they were created for purely ritual reasons, but later they were placed along the road that led to Cahuachi. Contrary to what some think, apparently these figures were not used to mark the pilgrimage path, since it should already be well marked, but to animate the views, also giving it a ritual sense.

However, many more people have tried to give an answer to the meaning of the Nazca lines and there are several theories about its origin. The mathematician María Reiche influenced Paul Kosok by venturing the hypothesis that these drawings had an astronomical meaning. The archaeologists Reindel and Isla have excavated more than 650 sites and have managed to trace the history of the culture that generated these drawings. The supply of water was very important in the region since it is a desert. The drawings formed a ritual landscape whose purpose must have been to promote the invocation of the water gods. Archaeologists have discovered strings and stakes with which these people traced the drawings.

In 1968, the Swiss writer Erich von Däniken published his book 'Memories of the Future', in which he claimed that in ancient times man had contacted aliens. It was then that the Nazca lines were associated with this type of paranormal phenomena by stating that they served as landing strips for the alien ships.

What do the Nazca lines represent?

born human

The Nazca drawings are of different types: there are geometric and figurative. Within the group of figuratives we find the drawings of animals: birds between 259 and 275 meters long (hummingbirds, condors, herons, parrots ...) monkeys, spiders, a dog, an iguana, a lizard and a snake.

Almost all the drawings were made on a flat surface and there are only a few on the slopes of the hills. Almost all the figures that are placed in them represent human figures. Some are crowned by three or four vertical lines that perhaps represent the feathers of a ceremonial headdress (some Peruvian mummies wore headdresses of gold and feathers).

The recent controversy between Greenpeace and Nazca

greenpeace in Nazca

The Nazca lines are a national treasure for Peru. They are heavily protected but in 2014 an action by Greenpeace caused irreparable damage in the area. The goal was to put a message in giant letters visible only from the sky to say, “It's time to make a change! The future is renewable. Greenpeace. »

Any footfall in the area, due to the material and the meteorological conditions, is marked by thousands of years and the most serious thing is that in the process they destroyed one of the most visible and significant lines of the area. Greenpeace tried to apologize for the moral damage caused since Nazca is a sacred place for Peruvians. However, the actual damage done to a area declared in 1994 as a World Heritage Site it is already irreparable.


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