The Nazca lines, as they are better known, are located in the Jumana Pampas, in the Nazca desert, between the towns of Palpa and Nazca, Peru. They were drawn by the Nazca culture. They consist of several hundreds of figures covering simple designs as lines to complex zoomorphic, fitomorphic and geometric lines drawn on the surface.

The amazing thing is that these lines can only be seen in their wholeness from the air, flying over the desert, which has raised major questions about the intentions and skills of their creators.

There are many figures located in the Nazca desert, particularly in the Pampa de San Jose: geometric figures, meanders, animal, vegetal and human representations,  mazes, and other geometric designs.

The most representative are the animal figures: birds of between 259 and 275 meters long (giant hummingbirds, condors, the heron, the crane, the pelican, the seagull, the parrot etc.), a monkey, a spider, a snail , a lizard, a killer whale measuring 27 feet long, a dog with long legs and tail, two llamas, etc. In the category of reptiles, there is an alligator, which was cut to build the South Pan-American Highway, an iguana and a snake. Many of the drawings are mixed with lines and spirals.

Almost all the drawings were done on the flat surface; there are only a few in the hillsides. Almost all the figures situated on the slopes represent men. Some are crowned by three or four vertical lines representing, perhaps, the feathers of a ceremonial garment (some Peruvian mummies wore headdresses of gold and feathers).

The figures on the slopes are less defined than those in the desert, perhaps because the stones that have rolled down the slope have erased the details.

There are over thirty geoglyphs found until now in the Pampas of Nazca. The drawings are smaller in number compared to the geometric designs consisting of hundreds and hundreds of lines, triangles and quadrangles that occupy large tracts of land. The “drawing” technique was carefully used by the surveyors of the past, who traced the lines over the hills and ravines without deviating from its original direction.

The depth of the lines never exceeds 30 cm and some are only surface scratches, but it still can be recognized when the sun is low and the relief is accentuated.

Creativity for the gods

Over thirty geoglyphs have been found in the Pampas of Nazca, representing marine and land animals, human figures and geometric forms.

"The depth of the lines never exceeds 30 cm and some are only surface scratches, but they can still be recognized when the sun is low and the relief is accentuated," says Dr. Maria Reiche, in one of her many testimonies she left to the world.
Among the larger geoglyphs there is a bird of approximately 300 m, a lizard of 180 m, a pelican of 135 m, a condor of 135 m, a monkey of 135 m and a spider of 42 meters. These dimensions are a source of constant admiration coming from visitors to the site.

Reiche says that "there is a bird so big that if you stand on the tip of one wing you cannot see neither it´s head nor the other wing, you can only perceive a few lines on the ground; you must fly above the area to be able to appreciate it in its wholeness ". Contrasting, the smaller figure found so far is a spiral of 3 meters in diameter. Almost half of the figures are made up of spirals and concentric designs of various sizes.

Among the drawings of animals found in the Nazca desert, there are: a whale, a dog with long legs and tail, two llamas, and various birds like the heron, the crane, the pelican, the gull, the famous hummingbird and the parrot. In the reptile category there have been found: an alligator (which was cut to build the South Pan-Americana Highway), an iguana and a snake. On the other side there are located the towering figures of the monkey, the spider and the snail, among others.

Technically, the Nazca lines are perfect. The straight lines enclose perfection, just with small deviations of maximum some kilometers; the curves seem to be drawn with the perfection of a compass. The drawings are well supplied, especially if we consider their dimensions and the inability of the Incas to rise into the air to see the result of their work, which is why most of the time is quoted as Nazca mystical zone.

Some venture to say that the Nazca lines are a recorded message from extraterrestrial beings, so that when inhabitants of this planet reach a proper level of development, they will be able to decipher what others think it is a star map, a timetable for planting and harvesting times, or sacred grooves for the Indians to walk on during a secret ritual.

Other attractions

You can also visit the Inca Ruins of Paredones, aqueducts used by the Incas for irrigation and the pre-Inca cemetery Chauchilla. Moreover, outside of Nazca is possible to see some lines drawn on the ground, with a width ranging from 40 centimeters to 1.10 meters. It is a land of dusky and reddish colors, turning purple in the evening. A semicircle of hills form a giant natural amphitheater opened to the west, called the Pampas of Socos.

Although, over time, the deterioration of the geoglyphs has been the result of the carelessness of some overland tourists due to the proximity of the Pan American Highway, it is generally recommended to take 3 day tours, which also include visits to the Paracas Coastal area area.