The Nazca Lines: Markings in the Sand, Messages from the Past
The Nazca Lines (opposite), which cover an amazing 500 square kilometers of arid, rock-strewn plain in the Pampa Colorada (Red Plain), are still one of the greatest archaeological mysteries in the world. The Lines, which are nearly invisible from the ground up, are made up of more than 800 straight lines, 300 geometric figures (geoglyphs), and about 70 amazing animal and plant drawings (biomorphs) that are gathered in a small area. Their remarkable network of massive stylized figures and channels, many of which radiate from a central axis, is only visible when viewed from above. While the surrounding geoglyphs form perfect triangles, rectangles, or straight lines that stretch across the desert for several kilometers, the figures are primarily etched out in single continuous lines. There are many different geometric shapes found in the Nazca Lines, such as triangles, spirals, rectangles, and straight lines. The sizes of these forms vary; some of them extend for hundreds of meters. Ani...