Have you ever heard about Nazca Lines? Nazca lines are gigantic geoglyphs or drawings on the ground found in the Peruvian desert. They were first discovered in 1920s by airline passengers. The lines and figures can only be clearly seen with the aid of flight. They can be found spread over an area of 200 square kilometers from north to south of the Nazca desert. There are hundreds of figures such as simple lines, geometric shapes, and zoomorphic designs of animals such as birds, monkeys, whales and dogs.
Other designs include phytomorphic shapes like trees and flowers. The longest line is about 65,000 meters long and the largest figures are over 200 meters across.
There are no tall structures or high mountains around the Nazca desert, and it is a wonder how these drawings were accurately made without the aid of any surveying tool. Many archeologists, anthropologists, and historians have studied how the lines might have been created, who created them and for what purpose. One claim is a purpose related to astronomy. It was introduced by Maria Reiche, a German mathematician. She claimed that some parts of the lines show planetary motions. Reiche conducted experiments that identified many astronomical alignments. She also claimed that the animal shapes represented the constellations. However, her arguments came out weak and insufficient.
Another hypothesis asserted by archeologist John Reinhard stated that the lines represent worship of deities and sources of water. The ancient people of Nazca worked hard to find water supply, and when they discovered a water source, they drew lines that represent some kind of a map for future generations. Reinhard also theorized that the lines and figures were a part of a religious practice worshipping deities associated with water supply. However, his claims were questioned since only a few lines are related to water supply.
The most well known theory advanced in the 1970s by Erich von Daniken, a Swiss author. His hypothesis claimed that the Nazca lines were completed with the help of aliens, or were created by the aliens themselves to indicate their presence. His explanation was rejected by scholars but considered acceptable by many people. It is hard to understand how the ancient people of Nazca managed to construct a project of this magnitude without the aid of manned flight or equipment, and the alien hypothesis might have offered a viable explanation.
What exactly are the Nazca lines? Was this a site for worship? Were they made by aliens? Nobody knows for sure. It is still a mystery, and the curious are waiting for the truth to be known.