Nazca geoglyphs in Peru: photo, description and geographical coordinates of mysterious lines

Lines and images on the Nazca plateau were found in 1920. American scientist P. Kosok, flying over desert, noticed mysterious drawings from the cockpit of the plane. Today, more than 100 “drawn” gigantic geometric figures, perfectly straight lines, plants and animals have been discovered on the plateau.

The lines most interested scientists who studied the plateau. They were perfectly smooth, located absolutely chaotically from each other and “did not pay attention” to the landscape of the area - they passed through valleys and hills, leaving an invariably even trail behind them.

Nazca Plateau is located near the cities of Palpa and Nazca, 60 km long. This area is not irrigated by rain for years. Perhaps this is an ideal area for arranging burials, since it can ensure the incorruptibility of the remains. When P. Kusok studied the lines and drawings from the ground, he noted that they were made using incredibly simple technology. To leave the design, it was only necessary to move the turf and stones, placing them in a row. Considering that the drawings were huge, they would have taken years to complete. But in such an area they could retain their original appearance for thousands of years.

The subjects of images are divided into 2 groups: figures and lines. There are two types of lines: they are either paired, like tram rails, or they form certain figures. After studying the plateau, scientists came to the conclusion that the images were first drawn, and then lines were drawn on top of them. The accuracy of the lines is surprising - they are so straight that they could be used instead of a level. This is surprising and none of the scientists could explain how without modern aviation equipment and technology it was possible to maintain the effect straight lines over such vast distances.

As soon as these drawings were discovered on the Nazca plateau, the question immediately arose about their purpose and the authorship of the images. Many different theories have been put forward - from alien civilizations to systems for controlling the Earth's population. More and more new researchers are trying to unravel the mystery of the plateau, and almost everyone comes up with their own version of the purpose of the lines. Today, none of the theories has an advantage over others, since in the solution secrets of the Nazca plateau humanity is not one step closer. Modern scientists also have different views on the age of these drawings: some researchers believe that the lines were drawn in 200 BC, others - 1700 BC.

Theories of the purpose of Nazca paintings

One of the first to appear was the astronomical theory. It was suggested by the discoverer of the plateau - P. Kusok. During sunset, he noticed that it was setting exactly at the intersection of one of the lines on the horizon. Further observations convinced the scientist that his guess was correct: he calculated the line of the winter solstice on the plateau. Piece noted that the lines point in the direction of certain space objects (constellations and stars) on important days for astronomy (full moons, etc.).

To confirm P. Kusok's theory, it was necessary to identify all the images on the Nazca plateau with celestial bodies. Such a task required complete dedication, enormous effort and time from researchers. Therefore, P. Kusok enlisted the support of a familiar translator Spanish, who accompanied him on trips to South America. Her name was Maria Reiche. Together they drew up a map and topological plans of the plateau - this took more than 7 years of joint work.

Researchers first received government support only in 1947, when officials from the Ministry of Aviation Peru A service helicopter was allocated for the needs of scientists. From that moment on, Maria was able to take photographs of the plateau from a flying height.

The first time Maria flew, tied herself with ropes, hanging from the side, took pictures, and held the camera in her hands the entire flight. After the first flights, she turned to an engineer she knew, and he designed something like a suspension for the board. In 1956, all the photographs were collected, and based on them, a detailed diagram drawings on the Nazca plateau.

In ancient times, the Sun and Moon served as a calendar for people. Their position on the horizon determined the arrival of spring and autumn, the amount of rain, and the timing of the harvesting work. Scientists believe that these lines are a calendar that uses the Moon and the Sun instead of hands like a clock. When studying the drawings on the plateau, scientists were surprised to find that the Nazca drawings repeated the star map and displayed entire constellations on a large scale. But the most important question relatively Nazca Lines remained unanswered until today: who painted these images, and how? After all, among ancient people, if you believe official history, it was not possible to fly over the desert and correct the work of the builders.

The theory of paleocontact and the Nazca plateau

Another most common version is the paleocontact or alien theory. This is what most researchers and scientists around the world support. For the first time, the theory that planet Earth was previously visited by alien civilizations was first put forward by Erich von Däniken. In his work, Däniken indicated that he was confident that these images were in fact runways for interplanetary travel. He claims that drawings of such sizes were intended only for those who could see them in flight, that is, using aircraft. Däniken suggested that this airport was built for the "Gods" who are spoken of in all the local legends.

One is interesting ancient legend, which is passed on from generation to generation by the entire local population. It talks about how a “golden ship” from distant galaxies arrived on our planet. The crew of the ship was controlled by the woman Oryana, who later became the mother human race. When she gave birth to 70 children to earthly people, the ship left Earth and all the aliens went to their home galaxy.

Documentary films by Erich von Däniken and can be viewed on our website.

The local legend describes in detail how the “youths of the sun” easily traveled through space on their “golden ships”. Another interesting fact is that the result of an analysis of the muscle tissue of Inca mummies showed that the composition of the blood of ancient remains and modern local residents is radically different from each other. The mummies were found to have a blood type of a surprisingly rare combination. This blood type was encountered by scientists only 2 or 3 times during the entire research period.

Developing the study, scientists noticed that near the main widest lines there were smaller ones that were not related to the main one. These lines did not continue the main drawing in any way and were connected exactly near the end of the contour. They formed a mega-system, which is similar to a kind of electrical circuit in which everything is done with one wire - the patterns do not intersect (there is no short circuit) and are not interrupted (as if the circuit were broken).

Palpa plateau

The Palpa Plateau is located on the territory of the state of Peru ( South America). It is 20 km north of the Nazca plateau, and its area is half its size. This natural formation is remarkable for its geoglyphs (a geometric figure made in the earth’s soil and having a length of at least 4 meters), but it is much less popular among people than its southern neighbor. This is explained by the fact that Nazca was the first. The mysterious drawings on it have been studied since 1946. Palpa became known to the general public in 1993, thanks to Erich von Daniken (born 1935).

He is Swiss and is a ufologist by training. In 1968, he published a bestseller called Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved mysteries of the past". The book's circulation was 60 million copies. This figure once again emphasizes the great interest people have in the mysteries and secrets of the past.

It was this man who drew public attention to the mysterious geoglyphs of Palpa, which in terms of quality and workmanship were significantly superior to the corresponding images on the Nazca Plateau. It seemed that craftsmen with higher qualifications worked in the north. At the same time, there is a strong opinion that Palpa’s drawings are much older than similar creations by Nazca. Therefore, the ancient civilization living in these places lost certain skills over time. This conclusion raises many questions to which no one has answers.

Flat top of a hill. Nature could not create this

What catches your eye first are the unusual hilltops. They are completely flat. It seems that all the irregularities on them are cut off by some unknown mechanism. At the same time, the slopes have the usual rugged natural relief. Mysterious lines and stripes are located on the flat tops. They intersect and overlap each other. This suggests that first some stripes were created, and then others were applied to them.

The width of some stripes reaches several hundred meters, and the length reaches 20 km. The edges are perfectly parallel. But they not only amaze geometric figures. There are anthropomorphic geoglyphs on the plateau. These are images that resemble people. There are currently eight of them. There are also images of animals and birds available. They all have different sizes and executed with high skill.

Anthropomorphic geoglyph

The main attraction of the Palpa plateau is, perhaps, its very complex geometric images. Even at first glance, you can feel that these creations contain some hidden information. But what kind, for whom and why? This is not clear.

You can consider, for example, a drawing consisting of three circles. They are located next to each other. The outer two have small diameters, and the central circle is significantly larger than them. The circles are connected to each other by lines and thus represent a single composition. The length of this image is a kilometer.

Circle images

The composition includes two triangles superimposed on each other to form a star with six points. In the center of the star there are two circles of different diameters. The smaller circle lies within the larger one. The latter, in turn, has two rectangles intersecting each other. They depict a square, and in its center there is an image resembling a star with 16 rays. Around these geometric designs are small circular pits. Some circles are made not of solid lines, but of similar round holes.

A kilometer away from these geoglyphs, complex in shape, there are other drawings that are no less complex and original. They also together form a composition called “ sundial" In the center there is a zigzag, turning into a spiral. It forms six turns, corresponding in shape to circles. Nearby there are stripes and lines randomly crossing each other. At the very edge of the composition there is a drawing that resembles in its outline human head. It is crowned with horns, and a snake is depicted below it.

Complex geometric image"Sundial"

The image of this reptile is not typical for the Palpa plateau. It is also uncharacteristic of the paintings on the Nazca plateau. The Incas loved to depict snakes. They drew them wherever possible. They especially liked to paint poisonous creatures on the walls of residential buildings and palaces. This civilization associated the snake with wisdom and longevity.

Another geoglyph raises many questions. It is called "Table". And indeed, from above he very much resembles her. The table is located on a flat top and consists of 15 longitudinal and 36 transverse lines. Moreover, the lines are dotted, and crosses are formed at the places where they intersect. Nearby is an image of a person. There are many thin lines crossing it. And they, in turn, are covered by a circle. There are eight squares along it. What kind of composition this is and for what purpose it was made is a complete mystery.

The drawings are huge, so you can only see them by taking off in the air on an airplane, helicopter or in a hot air balloon, if you have one at hand. Why did ancient civilization do similar images? Even the artists themselves could not see the drawings in full, unless they had some kind of aircraft.

This is puzzling, but what amazes modern people even more is the accuracy of the images. The same circles have an ideal shape. It can be assumed that the ancient masters used ordinary rope. A peg was driven in, a rope was taken in hand, tied to it, and the man drew a perfect round line on the ground. Thus, masterpieces were created in those distant times.

The explanation is good, but it all comes down to the soil of the plateau. The climate in this area is dry, there is no rain, and there are no winds either. A trace left on the ground can retain its shape for centuries. It is not for nothing that geoglyphs have survived to this day. If the ancient masters used the usual modern people tools were then located in close proximity to the lines and figures. Accordingly, the soil should contain traces of ancient people.

But nothing like this is observed near geoglyphs. The soil is pristinely flat. It seems that no human has ever set foot on it. So how were images made on the ground? The ancient master could not fly up to work site through the air, and then hang in a special cradle above the ground and create masterpieces whose age is estimated at a thousand years. No reasonable explanation for this comes to mind.

Maybe the aliens portrayed themselves

Only one version suggests itself - an alien one. Representatives from another planet visited Earth, came into contact with local residents and for some reason they put mysterious drawings on the ground. Naturally, some unknowns were used to modern man technologies. Apparently for aliens the drawings on the ground were very great importance, since the appropriate area with the most suitable climate was selected.

But the Palpa and Nazca plateaus are by no means the only ones of their kind. Old residents of these places claim that if you go east into the mountains, you can find several more plateaus with mysterious geoglyphs. In their form, they are more intricate and incomprehensible. People of science and tourists, however, so far gravitate only to the Nazca plateau. It is the most popular and popular all over the world. The Palpa plateau and the unknown highland plains in the east are not yet of interest to anyone. However, it's a matter of time. Their turn will come. But will this help reveal the secret of the mysterious drawings? There is no clear and precise answer here.

Geoglyphs on the Nazca Plateau, like the famous lost city of the Incas Machu Picchu, are one of the most mysterious attractions of Peru. Giant geometric figures depicting triangles, spirals, lines, constellations, as well as a monkey, a spider, flowers, an astronaut and a hummingbird with a wingspan of more than two hundred meters were created between the 1st and 5th centuries AD. There is still no consensus on the origin of patterns made with deep furrows and the purpose of their creation, despite many years of research.

The Nazca Lines were first noticed in 1939 by American archaeologist Paul Kosok, who was flying over the plateau. He saw that the lines recorded the phases of the moon and indicated certain constellations. It was impossible to detect such parallels from the ground; The figures can only be distinguished to this day only from the air. Subsequently, Maria Reiche was engaged in their research, and many drawings were discovered with her help. According to Reiche, geoglyphs in the desert are the largest calendar of the starry sky under open air in the world. In total, on the Nazca plateau you can find about thirty designs, 788 different geometric shapes, including trapezoids, triangles and spirals, and thousands of lines and stripes. In 1994, geoglyphs were included in the List World Heritage UNESCO.

To travel to the Nazca plateau, choose light, light-colored clothing and closed shoes with hard soles. Best time to view geoglyphs in the desert - from December to March, when you can count on clear sunny weather. The temperature during this period does not fall below +27°C. Even when setting out early in the morning or at dusk, do not forget about sunscreen and a hat.

In addition to the geoglyphs, there are several other interesting sights on the Nazca Plateau. In particular, you can visit the ruins of Cahuachi - the most important and powerful city ancient civilization, where excavations are still ongoing. 5 kilometers east of Nazca are the Cantayoc aqueducts, and 30 kilometers south is the necropolis of Chauchilla (El cementerio de Chauchilla), most of the burials date back to the 5th-6th centuries. The mummies were found in the first half of the last century, but the necropolis was recognized as an archaeological site only in 1997.

How to get there

The Nazca Plateau is located 380 kilometers southeast of Lima. The path runs along the picturesque Pacific coast, along Highway 1S. The most convenient way to get from the capital to the city of Nazca is with a transfer to Ica; The average bus journey takes seven and a half hours. Tickets must be purchased in advance, at least one day in advance. Be careful: from Lima, buses from different transport companies (Oltursa, Cruz del Sur, TEPSA) depart from different terminals; for example, TEPSA flights depart from the terminal of the same name, located on Avenida Javier Prado. However, starting points are not always located in the city center. One-way fares range from 65 PEN (~$20.8) to 140 PEN (~$44.8) per person. Buses depart several times a day, including late in the evening and at night.

The best way to see the geoglyphs on the Nazca Plateau is to take one of the small Cessna plane tours offered by local agencies. In good weather, most designs and lines can be seen from the air; guides navigate the desert's most famous sites, including those featuring monkeys, spiders, hummingbirds and other animals.

The routes start from the cities of Nazca and Lima. Excursions should be booked in advance: the number of seats on planes is limited (usually no more than five passengers), and it is unlikely to be possible to organize such a trip on the spot. Their cost from the city of Nazca, for example, starts at $150 per person; The price includes transfer from the hotel to the airfield, flights and the services of a local guide. These tours operate daily, mostly in the morning, but departure times and travel duration depend on the number of flights scheduled for the day and weather conditions. On average, the excursion takes a little over half an hour.

Organized excursions from Lima will cost more; their prices start at $350 per person. This price includes transfer to the Nazca airfield, watching a short film about the desert lines, flight, as well as lunch in a traditional restaurant and a visit to the observation deck on the way back.

Helicopter excursions over the Nazca plateau are organized by several specialized travel companies. The cost of such a trip starts from $350 per person; flights operate daily. The duration of the excursion is 40 minutes, including the flight time - 25 minutes. The minimum number of passengers is two people.

Another option for visiting the Nazca Lines is Observation deck on the Panamericana Highway (El Mirador). The cost of visiting is 2 PEN (~$0.6) per person. In this case, due to the great distance of the drawings, it will be possible to see only two of them.

Location

The Nazca Plateau is located in the province of the same name in the Ica region, which lies almost in the center of the Pacific coast.

Plateau Nazca is located in the south of the state of Peru. Due to its dry climate and lack of water and vegetation, the area is also called the Nazca Desert. The name of the plateau is associated with

Pre-Columbian civilization,
existed in these places in the time period of 500 years. BC . and 500 g. AD Its fame plateau Nazca received thanks to geoglyphs - huge drawings drawn on the ground, which can only be seen from the air.

Discovery of the Nazca geoglyphs.
Mysterious drawings in the desert plateau became known back in 1553 from the Spanish priest Pedro Cieza de Leon. Traveling through the territory of the modern state of Peru, he wrote in his notes about the many lines drawn on the ground, which he called the “Inca Road,” and about certain signs also drawn in the sand. The first to see these signs from the air was the American archaeologist Paul Kosok, who was flying over the vast plateau in 1939. A major contribution to the study of Nazca paintings was made by the German archaeologist Maria Reiche. In 1947, she flew over the plateau in an airplane took a photo geoglyphs from the air.

Description of the drawings on the Nazca plateau
Geoglyphs measure several tens of meters in size, and the Nazca lines extend for many kilometers and sometimes even go beyond the horizon, crossing hills and dried up river beds. Images are applied to the surface by extracting soil. They form furrows about 135 cm wide and 30 -50 cm deep. The drawings have survived to this day due to the dry semi-desert climate. Today we know about 30 drawings depicting geometric figures, animals, and only one depicts humanoid a creature about 30 meters high, similar to an astronaut. Among the animal images, the most famous are the spider, hummingbird, whale, condor and monkey. The geoglyph depicting a condor is one of the largest in the desert. Its length from beak to tail is 120 meters. For comparison: the size of a spider is 46 meters, and a hummingbird is 50.

Mysteries of the Nazca Desert geoglyphs
The mysterious drawings have left archaeologists and historians with many questions. Who created them? How and for what purpose? It is impossible to see geoglyphs from the ground. They are visible only from the air, and there are no mountains nearby from which these lines and drawings could be seen. Another question that arises is that next to the drawings and lines there are no traces of ancient artists, although if a car passes over the surface, traces will remain. It is noteworthy that the monkey and whale depicted on the geoglyphs do not live in this area.

Exploring the Nazca Plateau
Some scientists believe that geoglyphs had ritual significance for the ancient inhabitants of the valley. Since they could only be seen from the air, only the gods, whom people addressed with the help of drawings, could see them. Many researchers adhere to the hypothesis that the Nazca images were created by the civilization of the same name, which lived in these places in the 2nd century BC. Explorer Maria Reiche believes that geoglyphs were first made on small sketches, and only then applied to the surface in full size. As evidence, she provided a sketch found in these places. In addition, at the ends of the lines depicting the drawings, wooden posts driven into the ground were found. They could serve as coordinates of points when drawing geoglyphs. The research results showed that the images were created at different times. The intersecting and overlapping lines indicate that ancient painting covered the land of the valley in several stages.

Various versions of the origin of Geglyphs
Many historians and archaeologists adhere to astronomical versions of drawings. The ancient inhabitants of the Nazca Desert may have been well versed in astronomy. The created gallery is a kind of star map. This version was supported by the German archaeologist Maria Reiche. American astronomer Phyllis Pitlugi cites in favor of this version the fact that the geoglyph depicting a spider is a drawing showing a cluster of stars in the constellation Orion. However, British researcher Gerald Hawkins is confident that only a small part of the lines and patterns of the Nazca Desert are associated with astronomy. Some ufologists suggest that the drawings were a guide for landing alien alien ships, and the lines of the Nazca Plateau served as runways. Skeptics do not agree with this version, if only because alien spaceships capable of traveling tens of light years do not require acceleration to take off. They can rise into the air vertically. Jim Woodman, who studied the Nazca plateau in the 70s of the last century, came to the conclusion that the ancient inhabitants who created these drawings could fly in a hot air balloon. He explains this by the depiction of this flying object on clay figurines preserved from ancient times. To prove it, Woodman made a balloon from by-products that could only be obtained in the immediate area. Hot air was supplied to the balloon and it was able to fly a fairly long distance. The German archaeologist Maria Reiche, mentioned above, called the geometric figures and lines of the Nazca plateau an encrypted text, similar to a set of letters and signs.
There is still no consensus on the origin and purpose of the mysterious geoglyphs. The Nazca Plateau remains one of the greatest mysteries on our planet...

Beneath the Nazca Plateau means a plain located on a hill. This area, as a rule, has a flat or undulating, slightly dissected topography. From other plain spaces of Nazcaseparated by obvious ledges. This natural formation is located in Peru, in its southern part, 450 km southeast of Lima, the capital of the country. However, this territory is notable not for its unusual location, but for its Nazca paintings., located over an area of ​​80 kilometers. These images or as they are also called the Nazca lines, made in a bizarre form: from the outlines of animals, spiders and birds, to geometric shapes. Drawings in the Nazca Desertare one of the most important mysteries for the modern research community. Dozens of activists struggle every day in so far aimless attempts to answer at least some questions regarding the mysterious images.

Nazca is a geoglyphic territory.

The plateau is vast and extends for many kilometers. This valley for a long time was considered lifeless, however, the researchers were wrong, but more on that later. Nazca coordinates, where the geoglyphs are located: 14° 45′ south latitude and 75° 05′ west longitude. The Nazca plate has an elongated shape. From north to south the length reaches approximately fifty kilometers, from west to east from 5 to 7 kilometers. The Nazca area is practically uninhabited by people and has an extremely dry climate.

Winter in the vast Nazca area lasts from June to September. All because in Southern Hemisphere the seasons do not coincide with those in the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, the temperature in Nazca never drops below 16 degrees Celsius. In summer, the temperature is stable and stays around 25 degrees Celsius. Rain, despite the close location of the ocean, is a rarity for Nazca. There is also virtually no wind. There are no rivers, streams or lakes in the Nazca area and there cannot be such conditions. The presence of water in these lands is signaled only by the numerous channels of the Nazca rivers that dried up a long time ago and no less numerous dried up canals.

No less important component of this region than the Nazca Valley is the city with the corresponding name. It was founded by the Spaniards in 1591. In 1996, the city was completely destroyed by a strong earthquake. But, fortunately, there were few casualties, since the tremors began at noon and people were prepared. A total of 17 people died during the Nazca earthquake. And about 100 thousand people were left homeless. To date, the city of Nazca has been completely rebuilt. On its territory were built multi-story houses, and the center of the city of Nazca is now decorated with a beautiful square.

However, this area is notable not for its city or plain, but for its mysterious geoglyphs, lines and drawings, which are believed to have been made by skillful human hands. However, the last statement is very, very controversial. There is a popular theory regarding Nazca, according to which the lines on the plateau were not drawn by man, but by an alien intelligence or some other unknown force.

Stunning drawings in the Nazca desert.

In total, specialists discovered 13 thousand various lines and stripes on the plateau. In science, these drawings have their own name - geoglyphs (geometric figures of bizarre shape, made in the earth's soil and having a length of at least four meters). In our case, the drawings in the Nazca Desert are shallow and long grooves of varying widths dug in the soil, which is a mixture of sand and clay. Shallow by Nazca standards - this is from 15 to 30 cm. But the length of individual lines reaches several kilometers: the longest reach 10 kilometers in length. The width of the drawings in the Nazca desert is also striking: In some cases, it ranges from 150 to 200 meters.

In addition to lines, all sorts of figures were found on the territory of the plateau, well known to every person from geometry - triangles and quadrangles. Some Nazca Desert designs are trapezoidal because they only have two parallel sides. There are about seven hundred such creations of unknown origin on the plateau. There are also figures that resemble animals: monkeys, birds, killer whales, llamas and other inhabitants of flora and fauna. Single drawings in the Nazca desert depict fish, spiders, lizards and sharks. There are not many of them in total, no more than forty.

The figures amaze the imagination with their enormous size, but people are unable to understand their true purpose. Obviously, the answer may lie in the depths of the plain, which means that in order to understand who created the drawings in the Nazca desert and why, it is necessary to begin excavations. The problem is archaeological excavations prohibited here, since the plain has the status of a sacred zone. So the mystery of the drawings in the Nazca desert remains unsolved. And something tells me that it will remain like this for a very, very long time, until the scientific community comes to its senses.

Mysterious Nazca Lines.

However, no matter how sacred this land is, human curiosity has never stopped at anything and is not going to stop. The first person suffering from the “vice” of curiosity found himself in these forbidden lands in 1927. He was an archaeologist from Peru, Mejia Toribio Hesspe. He studied the Nazca Lines from the foothills surrounding the plateau.

In 1930, a mysterious piece of land where Nazca lines, anthropologists studied from a bird's eye view, flying around on an airplane. They, in fact, confirmed the fact of the presence of lines in Nazca. To study closely unique creations archaeologists got the opportunity only in 1946. But this was not a targeted government or research program with appropriate funding, but individual expeditions of enthusiastic scientists.

It turned out that our distant ancestors or alien entities made the Nazca lines and small trenches by removing the surface of a clay soil layer rich in iron oxide. The gravel has been almost completely removed from the Nazca Lines section, and underneath is light-colored soil. As a result, the Nazca lines became so catchy and at the same time durable.

The light-colored soil of the local lands surrounding the paintings on the Nazca plateau boasts a high lime content. On outdoors it hardens almost instantly and forms a durable protective layer, perfectly prevents erosion. For this reason, the mysterious Nazca Lines have been preserved in their original form for thousands of years, at least this is the opinion of researchers. The longevity of the Nazca lines was also facilitated by the absence of winds as such, precipitation and stable air temperatures. If the climate had been different, these drawings would have disappeared from the face of the earth long before they were discovered.

However, they exist and their presence has puzzled more than one generation of researchers, archaeologists and simply scientists from all over the world. Official science, which has long formed its attitude towards the Nazca lines, claims that all these geoglyphs, lines and drawings were created during the Nazca civilization. There was this ancient empire, is assumed to be from 300 BC to 800 AD. A significant part of scientists agree that most of the drawings were created during this period of 1100 years. It is believed that the Nazca Civilization had a very developed culture, the golden age of which dates back to 100-200 AD.

The Nazca Plateau and its mystical civilization.

The Nazca civilization sank into oblivion presumably at the end of the 8th century. The reason for this was allegedly the floods that the Nazca plateau encountered towards the end of the first millennium. The waters flooded and destroyed the agricultural lands of the ancient people. Some people died of hunger, the rest were forced to leave the poor land. A few centuries later, the Nazca plateau was inhabited by the Incas. However, this was already a completely different, and a different culture, whose customs certainly did not include drawing giant lines on the ground.

Well, let's say ancient people Nazca plateau really created mysterious creations on this earth, but why were they created, and most importantly, how could the aborigines make trenches several kilometers long on rough terrain. Even using modern techniques and devices, it is extremely difficult to draw an ideal straight line along the ground, say, 5-8 kilometers long.

In accordance with the theory of scientists, they did all this once or twice. Over the course of some centuries, the Nazca Plateau has turned from a lifeless valley into the most bizarre and richest territory in geoglyphs on the whole Earth. The first settlers crossed ravines and hills, but at the same time their geometric lines, Nazca geoglyphs, remained perfectly correct, and the edges were strictly parallel, which seems incredible. In addition to the stripes and trenches in the Nazca plateau, unknown artists also created figures of various animals. From the air they appear, although bizarre, but easily recognizable. Again, how the first people in these lands managed to depict, say, a hummingbird with such accuracy is categorically unclear.

The mentioned hummingbird, by the way, like many Nazcas, reaches fifty meters in length. Another picture bird, the condor, is 120 meters long. And the spider, similar to its relatives living in the Amazon jungle, boasts a length of 46 meters. It is noteworthy that all these masterpieces of the Nazca plateau can only be seen by rising high into the air or climbing some mountain, which, unfortunately, is not nearby. From the ground and small hills, these patterns are indistinguishable and appear as a simple series of lines and trenches. Of course, you can make out individual silhouettes and strokes, however, full picture visible only from the air.

Obviously there are no aircraft the civilization that inhabited the Nazca plateau did not. Neither balloons, neither airplanes, nor even rockets existed in prehistoric times. So how could they recreate their drawings with such precision, without being able to evaluate the work done and find flaws in order to correct them?! This remains as much a mystery as the functionality of the images of the Nazca Plateau. Why were they created? Is it really just for the sake of aesthetic beauty or maybe for some religious purposes? Question, question and another unanswered question.

It is generally difficult for modern people to understand logic distant ancestors. We don’t understand people who lived a hundred years ago; how can we understand the motives of those who lived thousands, two thousand years ago. It is quite possible that all the lines and images of the Nazca Plateau have no practical component at all? The ancient people created them to show that they were capable of this. But why was it necessary to spend so much effort and time on self-affirmation?! Wouldn’t it be easier to start another war; in ancient times this seemed to be a much more common practice?!

Nazca drawings and related theories.

There are no less scientists who are confident that a person is behind the creation of mysterious drawings on the territory of the plateau than those who believe that Nazca drawings were created by an alien race. In their opinion, all the images and lines on the plateau are nothing more than runways. The version affecting Peru, the Nazca plateau, of course, has the right to life, it remains unclear why spaceships the aliens did not have vertical take-off, or why create runways in the bizarre shape of earthly animals? If you wanted to stand out in this way, why not make a couple of Nazca drawings in the shape of the fauna that live in your world? However, it is better not to focus on this, because theories and guesses regarding the motives of alien creators seem even more elusive than the motivation of the first people.

It is better to pay attention to this: Nazca drawings in the form of animals, birds and insects were created much earlier than simple triangles and other geometric shapes. This is not a confirmed fact, the theory is still under development, however, even now most of scientists agree that this is so, complex drawings The Nazcas were created earlier simple images and trenches. Be that as it may, a simple conclusion suggests itself: did the unknown masters at first make more complex shapes, apparently created in several stages, and only then other people began to practice drawing straight lines and trapezoids. Or maybe over the long centuries it took to create the drawings for which the desert is famous Nazca on the map, did the masters of ancient civilization lose technology or simply forget how to create complex images? All these are just more questions, the answers to which we, apparently, will not get very, very soon, if ever.

At the same time, there are a few people in the scientific community who believe that all Nazca drawings were made in the same period. But what scientists agree on is the idea that certain representatives of the ancient Nazca people had knowledge of astronomy.

For example, Maria Reiche (1903-1998), a German mathematician and archaeologist who worked on mysterious lines for almost 50 years, once claimed that the Nazca drawing in the form of a huge spider is very reminiscent of a star cluster in the constellation Orion. Three straight lines lead to the figure; they presumably served to track changes in the declinations of the three most bright stars in Orion's Belt: Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.

There is another very interesting theory involving the Nazca figures. Archaeologist Johan Reinhard, who is American by birth, believes that the lines and figures of the animals were part of religious rites or, at least, were built for some religious purposes. The figures of animals, insects and birds were supposedly associated with the worship of gods. With the help of Nazca drawings, people asked the celestials for water to irrigate their lands. It’s not entirely clear how exactly this ritual took place, but it doesn’t matter; what’s more important is whether it took place at all? It is obvious that the ancient people were novices of the pagan faith and, as in any such religion, the cult of the gods occupies a central place not only in religion, but also in Everyday life of people. It is likely that the Nazca civilization actually carried out certain rituals to worship its deities, but it is almost impossible to prove this.

Today, the attention of researchers from all over the world is not focused on the Nazca drawings or even on the mysteries surrounding them. While people are speculating and guessing, a serious environmental threat looms over the plateau. Deforestation and environmental pollution do not change better side balanced and practically unchanged climate of the plain. The Nazca Plate is facing problems: it rains more and more often, landslides and other misfortunes occur, one way or another affecting the integrity of the images. This is a very serious threat and if nothing is done in the next 5-10 years, or maybe less, the Nazca drawings will be lost forever, and then there is no doubt that answers to the questions posed by the research community will never be obtained. We will certainly never know who and why created this, without exaggeration, wonderful and unique phenomenon.