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The Nazca Lines
Giant figures drawn in the Peruvian desert
The Nazca people made huge geoglyphs of animals and lines by removing dark stones to expose lighter ground. Researchers think they may be linked to water, rituals and processions.
The lines lie on a dry plateau where the surface is covered with dark, iron-stained stones. Makers cleared them away to expose paler soil beneath, producing shallow lines. The dry, calm climate has helped them survive. The designs include a monkey, hummingbird, spider and many straight lines and geometric shapes.
Dating relies on pottery found along the lines, radiocarbon from wooden stakes and the style of the designs, linking most of the work to the Nasca culture, with some earlier lines. Researchers using drones and AI have recently identified many more, mostly small, figures.
Early theories by Paul Kosok and Maria Reiche proposed an astronomical calendar, but most lines do not align well with the sky. Many scholars now favor ritual walking, water-related ceremonies and pathways connecting sacred places, and some of these may apply to different figures.
UNESCO listed the Nasca and Palpa geoglyphs in 1994. Claims of alien builders have no archaeological support.
Because the figures are best seen from the air, they have been studied with aerial photography since the 1920s. The figures remain fragile and are threatened by flooding, encroachment and foot traffic.