Nazca Lines
Desert floor drawings
The Nazca Lines are enormous geoglyphs etched into the desert floor of southern Peru, created by the Nazca culture between roughly 500 BCE and 500 CE.
The designs—geometric shapes, animals, plants, and humanoid figures—span hundreds of meters and are best viewed from the air.
Their purpose remains debated: astronomical calendar, ritual pathways, or messages to the gods.
We flew over the Nazca Lines and saw the hummingbird and the spider.
Small nectar-feeding hoverer
- spiderWeb-spinning arachnid
- monkeyTailed primate mammal
- condorGiant New World vulture
- whaleHuge sea mammal
dog · heron · parrot · hands · tree · flower · trapezoids · biomorphs
South American western range
- LimaPeru's largest city
- desertTo leave behind completely
- South AmericaWestern Hemisphere's southern continent
- UNESCOCultural arm of UN
heritage · tourism · Peruvian · Andean · plateau · arid · Pan-American Highway · observation tower
Day of maximum tilt
- equinoxSun crosses celestial midline
- alignmentCorrect relative positioning
- celestialOf the sky above
- calendarDate-tracking system
constellations · star · sun · horizon · seasonal · agricultural · observation · cosmic
Act of unearthing
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- ceramicsHardened clay objects
- carbon datingIsotope-based age measurement
stratigraphy · dig · site · pottery · settlements · rituals · pre-Columbian · aerial survey
Something hard to fathom
- unexplainedNot yet clarified
- theoriesExplanations based on evidence
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- ancient astronautsPrehistoric alien intervention theory
extraterrestrial · unknown · riddle · phenomenon · legends · purpose · ritual · astronomical
hummingbird
Small nectar-feeding hoverer
whale · dog · heron · parrot · hands · tree · flower · trapezoids · biomorphs · geometric
Andes
South American western range
- LimaPeru's largest city
- desertTo leave behind completely
- South AmericaWestern Hemisphere's southern continent
UNESCO · heritage · tourism · Peruvian · Andean · plateau · arid · Pan-American Highway · observation tower · protected area
solstice
Day of maximum tilt
calendar · constellations · star · sun · horizon · seasonal · agricultural · observation · cosmic · sky
excavation
Act of unearthing
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- ceramicsHardened clay objects
carbon dating · stratigraphy · dig · site · pottery · settlements · rituals · pre-Columbian · aerial survey · ceremonial
enigma
Something hard to fathom
- unexplainedNot yet clarified
- theoriesExplanations based on evidence
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
ancient astronauts · extraterrestrial · unknown · riddle · phenomenon · legends · purpose · ritual · astronomical · water
- Latin American LandmarksMachu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Tikal
- Latin AmericaArgentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Cuba
- South AmericaArgentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador
- ancient AmericasMachu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan, Tikal
- Latin America SitesMachu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Tikal, Cusco, Teotihuacan
- Peru travelMachu Picchu, Cusco, Lima, Inca Trail, Lake Titicaca
Nazca Linesminiature painting
Small detailed painted artwork
illuminated manuscripts · scrimshaw · cameos · netsuke · cave paintings
Nazca Linespainted murals
Large artwork on walls
cave paintings · frescoes · body painting · sand painting · mosaic