The Nazca Desert and the
enigmatic Nazca lines hold many mysteries. What could
have been the purpose of this massive humanoid image gracing
the side of a hill?
In Peru's desolate high plateau desert,
one of the driest deserts on earth, there are mysterious
geometric lines and stylized images of spiders, monkeys,
lizards, hummingbirds and even humanoids etched into the
landscape. Not only are these images massive in scale,
most can only be fully viewed by flying above the desert
landscape.
 Here
in the Nazca desert you will also find some extremely long
and rather wide lines that are as 'straight-as-a-rifle-shot'
and intersect with other straight lines at curious angles.
Many of these longer intersecting lines resemble what we in
the modern world would immediately recognizes as landing
strips or airbases. Again, these are massive in scale
and have been photographed by NASA satellites.
There are literally hundreds of images and
lines here, covering an area of nearly 500 square kilometers
(193 sq. mi.).
While it is not definitively known who created these
enigmatic works, or how the ancient builders managed such
precision, the conventional theory speculates that the
geoglyphs were created by the Nazca culture sometime between
200 BC and 700 AD. The theory further offers that the
images and lines were created for some as of yet unknown
religious purpose, and laid out using some primitive form of
'sticks and stones' survey. In part this theory is
based on carbon dating of pottery shards and wooden pegs
found in the area.
One bold theory offers that the Nazca did achieve 'manned
flight' through a form of primitive hot air balloon and that
tribal leaders did have the ability to float above the
geoglyphs and direct their construction.
The other theories (considered "fringe") include
speculations that the lines are much older and represent an
interaction between the indigenous people of the time with
technologically advanced beings, possibly from a distant
planet. Due to the similarities of some of the Nazca
lines to air strips, some suggest that in ancient times
Nazca was an outpost or colony. Under this set of
theories, it is offered that the stylized figures were
created to pay homage to the more advanced race which
certainly would have been viewed to be godlike.
There has been a great deal of interest in
the Nazca lines over the decades and a number of books and
research reports have been written. I am unconvinced
by either of the opposing theories as much more research,
and much less bias needs to be applied to unraveling the
secrets of Nazca. |
