January 30th, 2009 THE LINES OF NASCA

The lines of Nasca which were declared the Cultural Heritage Cultural Patrimony of Humanity are situated in the Pampas of Nasca which are 4: Palpa, Ingenio, Nasca and Socos, all situated in Ica department in the south of Lima.

There are more than 30 images that can be seen by the visitors, there are graphics are geometric figures, figures of animals, plants, human figures, etc. amongst the most popular are: the hummingbird, condor, spider, monkey, etc. engraved in the surface of the desert plateaus. Technically the lines are perfect and even more, when one takes into account their magnitude. Still there is an unresolved mystery about these extraordinary figures, how they were designed and the techniques that were used.

The complicated designs can reach 300 meters of length; they can only be seen in all magnitude by flying over the place. The lines of Nasca are a sample of the geographical knowledge of the ancient Peruvians.

There are many hypotheses about the origin of the lines of Nasca; however the most accepted one is the theory supported by Maria Reiche, a German scientist that dedicated her life to the research of the lines of Nasca. She gave them an astronomic significance, she supported the theory that the lines belonged to an astronomic calendar and the figures represented the periods or solar stages.