Reinhard points out that spiral designs and themes have also been found at other ancient Peruvian sites. "The rituals were likely involved with the ancient need to propitiate or pay a debt to the gods…probably to plead for water." "The trapezoids are big wide spaces where people can come in and out," says Aveni. "It seems likely that most of the lines did not point at anything on the geographical or celestial horizon, but rather led to places where rituals were performed to obtain water and fertility of crops," wrote Reinhard in his book The Nasca Lines: A New Perspective on their Origin and Meanings.Īnthony Aveni, a former National Geographic grantee, agrees, "Our discoveries clearly showed that the straight lines and trapezoids are related to water … but not used to find water, but rather used in connection with rituals." Johan Reinhard, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, brought a multidisciplinary approach to the analysis of the lines: “Look at the large ecological system, what’s around Nasca, where were the Nasca people located.” In a region that receives only about 20 minutes of rain per year, water was clearly an important factor. This new wave of research started to poke holes in the archeo-astronomy view of the lines (not to mention the radical theories in the ‘60s relating to aliens and ancient astronauts). The Kosok-Reiche astronomy theories held true until the 1970s when a group of American researchers arrived in Peru to study the glyphs. 1 to 700.Ĭertain areas of the pampa look like a well-used chalk board, with lines overlapping other lines, and designs cut through with straight lines of both ancient and more modern origin. Scientists believe that the majority of lines were made by the Nasca people, who flourished from around A.D. Because there’s so little rain, wind and erosion, the exposed designs have stayed largely intact for 500 to 2000 years. The rocks which cover the desert have oxidized and weathered to a deep rust color, and when the top 12-15 inches of rock is removed, a light-colored, high contrasting sand is exposed. The lines are known as geoglyphs – drawings on the ground made by removing rocks and earth to create a “negative” image. Reiche battled single-handedly to protect the site she even lived in a small house near the desert so she could personally protect the lines from reckless visitors. Reiche studied the lines for 40 years and fought unyieldingly for her theories on the lines’ astronomical and calendrical purpose (she received a National Geographic grant in 1974 for her work). Kosok was followed by the German Maria Reiche, who became known as the Lady of the Lines. Kosok called the 310 square mile stretch of high desert “the largest astronomy book in the world”. At the end of a full day studying the lines, Kosok looked up from his work to catch the sunset in direct alignment with the line. American professor Paul Kosok investigated and found himself at the foot of a line on June 22, 1941-just one day after the winter solstice. However, since the lines are virtually impossible to identify from ground level, they were only first brought to public awareness with the advent of flight-by pilots flying commercial planes over Peru in the 1930s. Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe was the first to systematically study the lines in 1926. Some of the straight lines run up to 30 miles, while the biomorphs range from 50 to 1200 feet in length (as large as the Empire State Building). In total, there are over 800 straight lines, 300 geometric figures and 70 animal and plant designs, also called biomorphs. The lines are found in a region of Peru just over 200 miles southeast of Lima, near the modern town of Nasca. How were they formed? What purpose could they have served? Were aliens involved? These are the renowned Nasca lines-subject of mystery for over 80 years. Some of the swirls and zigzags start to form more distinct shapes: a hummingbird, a spider, a monkey. The landscape changes as lines take shape to form simple geometric designs: trapezoids, straight lines, rectangles, triangles, and swirls. Strips of white crisscross a desert so dry that it rains less than an inch every year. Distinct white lines gradually evolve from tan and rust-red. As a plane soars over the high desert of southern Peru, the dull pale sameness of the rocks and sand organize and change form.
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