Nazca Lines Information

For many years Nazca Lines have been a mystery, not even scientists or archaelogists can explain how these lines were formed. These old geoglyphs are located in the desert of Nazca. These are not ordinary lines, these lines were drawn or traced with perfection showing different designs inside the surface area. The size and complexity of these geoglyphs, suggest some kind of mysterious origin. These shapes can be geometrical or have a zoomorphic iconography. Their approximate size covers the area of 750 Km². These lines were traced only once. In 1994 UNESCO registered them as a World Heritage. These strange and amazing figures were discovered in 1927 near Nazca, one the driest regions of the world on the south plains of the region of Ica.

The extraordinary conservation of these lines is mainly due to two natural factors: The zone where they are located receives less than 1 liter/m2 of rain each year and the soil composition has high plaster content which is mixed with morning dew and rocks on the soil avoiding corrosion.

The lines you can see are the following:

Big bird: (305 m long and 54 width) making this the biggest of all.

Lizard: (188m) It is cut in half by the Panamericana Sur road. Its paws were cut during the construction of this road.

Pelican: (138m)

Monkey: (135m) it is peculiar because it has only 9 fingers on both hands.

Condor: (135m)

Hummingbird: The distance between its wings is of 66m

Hands: (5m) similar to the monkey you can find 9 fingers in both.

Flower: (76m)

Spider: (46m)

Human Figure: (40m) also known as the astronaut.

These shapes can be found among others.

You can see these lines from a gazer (mirador) or from the air, flying on a light plane. The latter is the best option to see the designs, such as the humming bird, the spider, and the monkey. Maria Reiche, a German researcher who spent all her life studying these figures, said that these lines, 15 to 20 cm deep, were an enormous astronomical calendar used to track down the different solar phases. She also said that the chalk from the desert plains is a magical and natural preserver of these images. it is absolutely very difficult to decipher the mystery but it is definitely impossible not to be enchanted by it.

Here in Nazca you can do a lot adventure tours and visit another touristic places like: Pyramids of Cahuachi, Antonini Museum, Chauchilla Cemetery and The Aqueducts of Cantalloc.