Nazca Lines, Archaeological site in Nazca Desert, Peru.
The Nazca Lines are an archaeological site in southern Peru's desert with over 800 straight lines, geometric patterns and figurative representations extending across 450 square kilometers (174 square miles). The figures show animals such as whales, birds and reptiles, along with plant motifs and human forms, created by removing dark surface stones to expose lighter ground beneath.
The Nasca civilization created these ground markings between 500 BCE and 500 CE in the pampa region south of today's Nazca town. German mathematician Maria Reiche systematically documented the structures starting in 1946 and advocated for their preservation before UNESCO declared the site a World Heritage location in 1994.
Local communities regard the site as spiritual heritage from their ancestors and occasionally conduct ceremonial visits to the locations. Many residents of the region work as guides or support tourism, which has become the primary economic activity in the area.
Aircraft tours from Maria Reiche Airport in Nazca allow visitors to observe the formations from above, while the observation tower along the Panamerican Highway offers a ground view of some figures. The dry season from May through October provides the best viewing conditions without atmospheric interference.
Japanese researchers from Yamagata University discovered 168 new geoglyphs between 2016 and 2019 using drones and machine learning technology, many barely visible from ground level. One geoglyph depicts a humanoid figure with a staff, revealed only in 2020 through erosion and located mere yards from a parking area.
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