<< Our Photo Pages >> Nazca Lines - Hill Figure or Geoglyph in Peru
Submitted by bat400 on Wednesday, 21 December 2022 Page Views: 29119
Multi-periodSite Name: Nazca LinesCountry: Peru Type: Hill Figure or Geoglyph
Latitude: 14.695S Longitude: 75.16W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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DrewParsons would like to visit
MartinJEley visited on 19th Apr 2016 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 3 The Nazca Lines were viewed by aircraft, flying from Pisco Airport near Paracas. The pilot showed us all the main glyphs, often banking steeply to give us a good view. Photographs do not easily do justice to the impressive designs.
SusieBear visited on 1st Sep 2007 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 I believe they can only really be fully appreciated from the air. Regular flights from small airport near Ica, desert town in Southern Peru. Vey small propeller driven plane - single seats on either side - so everyone gets a window seat! This trip was amazing, it is difficult to comprehend how these glyphs could possibly be manmade - they are huge and perfect. Pilot was very informative - the area contaning the lines is approx 500 square kilometres and the largest figures cover 200+ metres. They are only about 15cm deep & are believed to have been 'drawn' by Nasca people, between 400 - 650 AD, by removing top layer of gravel using a form of 'string' stretched between wooden stakes as a guide. Apparantly remains of wooden stakes have been found along some of the lines.
Are they ritualistic for water bringing, ensuring good crops, fertility et al or astrology, cosmology or are they landing strips/portals for beings from other planets, dimensions or galaxies - no-one seems to know, possibly all of these and more.
The fact that they are still intact is pretty amazing and this is due to the windless and constant climate of this region. The Nazca desert is one of the driest places on Earth with a steady yearly temperature of approx 75 degres F. The lack of wind has helped keep the lines uncovered and visible to the present day.
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and highly recommend it. The only downside was that I visited Peru just a month after an earthquake which sadly devastated many of the surrounding villages - though strangely not the Nazca lines.
Torwen visited on 1st Jan 2005 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 3
Jansold visited on 1st Sep 2001 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5
Tdiver visited on 1st Jan 1991 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 5 There was a tower but it wasn't high enough so we rented a plane, the only way to see the lines.
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 4.4 Ambience: 4.6 Access: 4
The "lines" include straight lines, "white solid" straight line figures, and figures of animals and plants. It has been shown that the figures can be marked out using twine and stakes. A greater mystery is "why" they were created. Theories include:
The practical (markings for underground cisterns the Nasca were known to build,)
The scientific (astronomical alignments - support appears to be very tenuous,)
The religious (dancing labyrinths for ritual; figures to be viewed by deities,) and
Additionally, the Lines are the frequent subject of fanciful, but popular, explanations (such as landing grids for the spaceships of the Nasca culture's alien astronaut masters.)
The lines figures are best viewed from aircraft and there are several companies that provide this service for tourists. There are also a few locations where viewing platforms have been built. Satellite views of the figures have highly variable quality, depending on air and lighting conditions and resolution.
Many lines do not appear to form large scale figures. Additionally the lines appear to have been created over a very long perod of time, with figures and individual lines crossing over older constructions.
The location given is general for the area. Specific Megalithic Portal Site Listings call out the location of specific figures.
Clive Ruggles and Nicholas J. Saunders: Desert labyrinth: lines, landscape and meaning at Nazca, Peru. More in the comments below.
Note: More than 100 new designs discovered in Peru’s ancient Nazca plain
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