Mystery 13 of 15
13. Why Were the Nazca Lines Created?
Across the desert of southern Peru are enormous geometric designs, straight lines, and images of animals that can stretch for hundreds of feet.
They are known collectively as the Nazca Lines.
The geoglyphs were made by removing darker surface stones and exposing the lighter soil underneath. The dry climate helped preserve them for centuries.
Some designs depict recognizable figures such as a hummingbird, monkey, spider, and other animals. Others consist of enormous trapezoids or lines extending across the landscape.
Their purpose remains the bigger question.
Archaeologists have proposed connections to religious ceremonies, sacred pathways, fertility, water sources, astronomical observations, landscape rituals, and other aspects of Nazca culture.
Water is a particularly important possibility in one of the driest inhabited regions on Earth, and some researchers have connected the lines to rituals involving mountains, water, and agricultural fertility.
Why It Is Still a Mystery
There may not be one answer.
Different geoglyphs were created over a long period and may have served different purposes. Some could have been ceremonial routes while others marked meaningful places or represented religious symbols.
And despite their place in pop culture, there is no credible archaeological need to invoke alien visitors to explain how the Nazca people made them.
Add Comment