THE NAZCA LINES - ENIGMA OF THE AGES
An Artistic Mystery
The Nazca Lines provide one of the enduring
images of Peru. These colossal geometric and
artistic patterns etched in the desert south of
Nazca have also engraved themselves on our
collective memory.
The Lines were re-discovered in the 1920s and
were first thought to have been created by the
Incas, but it now seems clear that they are the
legacy of a much older culture that developed
over 2,300 years ago.
Today, frustratingly little is known about the Nazca culture despite finds of
mummies, huge irrigation systems and some highly-decorated ceramics. We
can still only wonder at what they were trying to accomplish by making these
enormous shapes in the desert, and we can only begin to guess at how they
created their greatest legacy, the Nazca Lines themselves.
Nazca Lines 101
Across 500 square kilometres of the arid Peruvian
pampa are scattered huge trapezoids, animal figures
and long straight lines etched in the earth. The
amazing thing is that many of these complex designs
are so large (some of the lines are over 6 miles in
length) that the whole design can only possibly be seen
from the air. This has obviously led to some fanciful
theories about their purpose. Runways for alien
spaceships, the site of gigantic pre-Columbian Olympic
Games and even ancient minimalist art have all been
proposed.
Some have proposed that the Nazca Lines represented 'the largest astronomy
book in the world', believing they were intended to point to astronomical
events at the horizon, and this was the theory supported by Maria Reiche, a
German archaeologist who studied the Nazca Lines for over 40 years.
However, this theory was effectively discarded in 1968, when American
astronomer Gerald Hawkins plotted the lines to analyze by computer their
relationship with various celestial bodies. Applying the same technique he
used to deduce an astronomical key for Stonehenge several years earlier,
Hawkins found that the Nazca lines - at least the ones he studied - were
random, astronomically speaking. However, this in turn has been called into
question as it was based on the lines' relationships to european constellations
such as Orion - many of which aren't even visible from the southern
hemisphere!
This being a pretty valid criticism, the most likely explanation at the moment
seems to be that the lines are markers to sacred sites, a kind of precursor to
the Inca 'ceque' system. In this explanation, the lines acted as pointers to the
mountain deities of the distant Andes and were created to ensure that the
gods knew where to direct the spring melt-waters.
Since the Nazca culture do not seem to have developed
written records, we will never know the real
explanation for the creation of the Nazca Lines, but in
some ways that is perhaps their greatest attraction.
Like the Pyramids of Egypt and the statues of Easter
Island, the Nazca Lines have a timeless ability to
captivate our imaginations, just as they might have
captivated their creators, the Nazca people. As Maria
Reiche, who dedicated more than 50 years of her life
studying the geoglyphs, once said, "we will never know
all the answers, that's what a good mystery is all about!"
Fly over the Nazca Lines
Just about everybody has their own pet theory and, to be honest, your
opinion will probably be just as valid as anyone else's so by far the best thing
is to go and visit the Lines yourself so you can make up your own mind - who
knows, something may strike you that no-one's thought of before!
Although there is a viewing platform constructed by Maria Reiche by the side
of Panamericana (the motorway which crosses the Pampa), the best way by
far to view the lines is by air. Our trips can feature options to fly over the
Nazca Lines either from the town of Nazca itself or from the nearby city of Ica.
We use highly manoeuvrable light aircraft with expert pilots to make sure that
you not only get the best possible view of the Nazca Lines, but that you also
get those all-important photographs!
