Description of the attraction
The Nazca geoglyphs, found in the Nazca desert, between the cities of Nazca and Palpa, appeared during the period of prosperity of the Nazca culture from 700 BC. before 200 A. D. There are several hundred of them, ranging from simple lines to complex zoomorphic and geometric shapes on the surface of the earth.
450 km south of Lima, near the Pacific Ocean, are the Pampas (in Quechua, pamp means "plain") Ingenio, Nazca and Sokos. Between Nazca and Palpa de Sokos, lines from 40 to 210 cm wide can be seen drawn on the black and red soil. Not far from these lines is a semicircle of hills, from where a gigantic natural amphitheater opens up. Some of the lines are up to 275 m long.
Technically, the Nazca lines are very clear and even, with little or no deviation. Possibly, ropes, stakes and about 800 animals were used in their creation. The exceptional climate of the region, where there is virtually no rain, has been a reward for the inventive creators of these drawings, preserving this amazing work to this day.
Contrary to popular belief that the Nazca lines can only be seen from the air, travelers can easily view them from the surrounding hills and specially designed observation towers.
The first record of them was made by the Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Kesspe in 1927. A large systematic laboratory study of these drawings was carried out by a team of the Swiss Foundation for Archaeological Research Abroad, led by archaeologist Marcus Reindel and Johnny Isla Cuadrado in 1996, who carried out numerous excavations and managed to trace the cultural history that created these drawings. In fact, these lines are simple furrows made in the ground, the soil surface of which consists of a layer of dark colored pebbles with a reddish tint caused by oxidation. Archaeologists have concluded that the lines were drawn between 200 BC. and 600 A. D. On the territory of the Nazca desert, stones were also found in small mounds that could be used to create these giant drawings. The technique for creating the drawing was completely restored with evidence collected by archaeological expeditions and was clearly demonstrated.
Archaeological excavations have revealed in some Nazca geoglyphs depicting religious offerings of agricultural products and animals, especially marine ones. The geoglyph lines form a ritual landscape, the purpose of which is to facilitate the induction of rainwater. Stakes and ropes were also found.
Lately, the condition of the lines has deteriorated due to the influx of people inhabiting the nearby lands, as well as serious damage to some geoglyphs as a result of the construction of the Pan American Highway. In 1994, the UNESCO Committee inscribed the Nazca geoglyphs and the Pampa de Jumana plain geoglyphs in the World Heritage List.
