the nazca lines + geoglyphs

The Lines and Geoglyphs of Nazca and Pampas de Jumana were inscribed on to the World Heritage Site List relatively recently, in 1994. They consist of several hundred lines, geometric shapes and more than 70 geoglyphs.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Nazca lines, apart from their scale, is that they are almost imperceptible from ground level and it has been stated that they can only be seen from above, from the sky in effect. This has led to speculation on their purpose and the author Erik von Daniken concluded they were to be seen from spacecraft and the larger rectangular 'runways' were landing sites for visiting aliens. Further proponents of flying machines suggest that the early Peruvians possessed the technology to build hot-air balloons. However, there is no evidence to support these theories and their promoters fall into the trap of interpreting Nazca through modern eyes. The truth is that while the drawings are best viewed from the air, and they were first noticed by pilots of early commercial flights, they are also visible from the nearby foothills which is how they were discovered by Dr Paul Kosok in 1939.

This Nasa Earth Observatory photo shows the main area of the drawings, with the black line of the Panamerica highway cutting through. While the larger geometric designs such as the so-called 'runways' are visible, the shallow lines of the geoglyphs do not show up well in satellite imagery.