Nazca Lines

Now you know about the Nazca people, but just what exactly are the Nazca Lines? This paragraph will explore deeper into the mystery… The Nazca Lines are different shapes on the floor of the Nazca Desert. Some of these shapes include animals, parallel lines, and completely random lines that seem to have no purpose whatsoever. The lines can only be seen from the air, so they were not discovered until the invention of the airplane. They were first spotted when commercial jets flew over the area in the 1920’s. People had no idea what they were: some people called them “primitive landing strips”. The Nazca Lines were made by removing the top layer of earth to expose the lighter colored soil underneath. To make the lines bolder, larger rocks were piled to the sides of the lines. There are many different theories on the purpose of the lines. Some people say they are offerings to the gods, others say the lines correspond with points of the sun at different times of the year and are a type of calendar. Some people even say the lines are “alien landing strips”!

Some of these lines are getting ruined by visitors, so most have been closed to the public. If you go on Google Earth, a free downloadable program, you might be able to see the lines. The Nazcas were a great culture living about 2100 years ago in the Nazca Desert. The climate of the desert played an important role in shaping the Nazca Lines. Considering how long age the lines were made, it’s a wonder they were only discovered about 90 years ago. If it wasn’t for the invention of airplanes, the lines might have never even been discovered! In fact, there may be even more things that haven’t been discovered! Just recently, another pyramid was just found, so as technology advances, so does archaeology. This still leaves the question of the Nazca Line’s purpose unanswered, but the answer it just out of our reach. To start thinking, I’ll leave you with some of Einstein’s great words: “Imagination is more important then knowledge.”

Image via Wikipedia