View source for Nazca lines

{{Short description|Geoglyphs in the Nazca Desert, Peru}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS = Lines and Geoglyphs<br>of Nasca and Palpa Cultures
| Image = Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 49.JPG
| Caption = Aerial photograph of one of the Nazca lines, taken in July 2015, that shows the design known as "The monkey"
| Location = Southern [[Peru]], South America
| Coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q2620036|type:city_scale:20000|display=inline,title}}
| Criteria = Cultural: I,III,IV
| ID = 700
| Year = 1994

| locmapin = Peru}}
The '''Nazca lines''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|ɑː|z|k|ə}}, {{IPAc-en|-|k|ɑː}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Nazca |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/nazca |website=Collins Dictionary |access-date=15 September 2023 |archive-date=4 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504191152/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/nazca |url-status=live }}</ref>) are a group of over 700 [[geoglyph]]s made in the soil of the Nazca Desert in southern [[Peru]].<ref name="DorschVinzent2017"/><ref name="Collyns2024">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/26/nazca-lines-peru-new-geoglyphs|title=Archaeologists use AI to discover 303 unknown geoglyphs near Nazca Lines|website=The Guardian |last1=Collyns |first1=Dan }}</ref> They were created between 500&nbsp;BC and 500 AD&nbsp;by people making depressions or shallow incisions in the desert floor, removing pebbles and leaving different-colored dirt exposed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url=https://www.go2peru.com/peru_guide/nazca/nazca_lines.htm |title=Nazca Lines |date=22 February 2017 |work=Guía Go2peru |access-date=29 October 2018 |language=en |archive-date=29 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029152441/https://www.go2peru.com/peru_guide/nazca/nazca_lines.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>  There are two major phases of the Nazca lines, [[Paracas culture|Paracas phase]], from 400 to 200 BC, and [[Nazca culture|Nazca phase]], from 200 BC to 500 AD.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/700/ |access-date=20 February 2022 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en |archive-date=20 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220191347/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/700/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 21st century, several hundred new figures had been found with the use of drones, and archaeologists believe that there are more to be found.<ref name="Jones 2020">{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Sam |title=Huge cat found etched into desert among Nazca Lines in Peru |website=the Guardian |date=18 October 2020 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/18/huge-cat-found-etched-desert-nazca-lines-peru |access-date=26 March 2021 |archive-date=26 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326025851/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/18/huge-cat-found-etched-desert-nazca-lines-peru |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Collyns2024/>

Most lines run straight across the landscape, but there are also figurative designs of animals and plants. The combined length of all the lines is more than {{convert|1300|km|mi|-2|abbr=on}}, and the group covers an area of about {{convert|50|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}. The lines are typically {{convert|10|to(-)|15|cm|0|abbr=on}} deep. They were made by removing the top layer of reddish-brown [[ferric oxide]]–coated pebbles to reveal a yellow-grey subsoil.<ref name="natgeo">{{cite web |last1=Glomb |first1=Jason |title=Nasca Lines |work=National Geographic |date=8 November 2010 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/archaeology/nasca-lines/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928050205/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/archaeology/nasca-lines/ |archive-date=28 September 2019}}</ref><ref name=":0"/> The width of the lines varies considerably, but more than half are slightly more than {{convert|33|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} wide.<ref name="DorschVinzent2017">{{cite book |author1=Sebastian Dorsch |author2=Jutta Vinzent |title=SpatioTemporalities on the Line: Representations-Practices-Dynamics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qElADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT97 |year=2017 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |isbn=978-3-11-046578-5 |pages=97– |access-date=19 January 2019 |archive-date=29 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129152637/https://books.google.com/books?id=qElADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT97#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Aveni1990">{{cite book |author=Anthony F. Aveni |title=The Lines of Nazca |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3WAaAAAAYAAJ |year=1990 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |isbn=9780871691835 |access-date=19 January 2019 |archive-date=4 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504191218/https://books.google.com/books?id=3WAaAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>  In some places they may be only {{convert|30|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} wide, and in others reach {{convert|1.8|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} wide.<ref name="DorschVinzent2017"/>

Some of the Nazca lines form shapes that are best seen from the air (at around {{convert|500|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=sqbr}}), although they are also visible from the surrounding foothills and other high places.<ref name="GardnerCroix1991">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=mYPuAAAAMAAJ Gardner's Art Through the Ages: Ancient, medieval, and non-European art] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504191126/https://books.google.com/books?id=mYPuAAAAMAAJ |date=4 May 2024 }}''. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich; 1991. {{ISBN|978-0-15-503770-0}}.</ref><ref name="Bonnie2016">Hinman, Bonnie (2016).''[https://books.google.com/books?id=hQQgCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA6 Mystery of the Nazca Lines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504191154/https://books.google.com/books?id=hQQgCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=4 May 2024 }}''. ABDO;  {{ISBN|978-1-68077-242-5}}. pp. 6–.</ref><ref name="Aveni2000">Anthony F. Aveni (2000). ''[https://archive.org/details/betweenlinesmyst00aven/page/88 Between the Lines: The Mystery of the Giant Ground Drawings of Ancient Nasca, Peru]''. University of Texas Press. {{ISBN|978-0-292-70496-1}}. pp. 88–.</ref> The shapes are usually made from one continuous line. The largest ones are about {{convert|370|m|yd|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="natgeo"/>  Because of its isolation and the dry, windless, stable [[Climate of Peru|climate of the plateau]], the lines have mostly been preserved naturally. Extremely rare changes in weather may temporarily alter the general designs. As of 2012, the lines are said to have been deteriorating because of an influx of [[squatters]] inhabiting the lands.<ref>{{cite news |last=Taj |first=Mitra |date=15 August 2012 |title=Pigs and squatters threaten Peru's Nazca lines |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-peru-nazca-squatters-idUSBRE87E0R520120815 |work=[[Reuters]] |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-date=20 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220064527/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-peru-nazca-squatters-idUSBRE87E0R520120815 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Update inline|date=August 2023}}

The figures vary in complexity. Hundreds are simple lines and [[geometric shape]]s; more than 70 are [[zoomorphic]] designs, including a hummingbird, arachnid, fish, condor, heron, monkey, lizard, dog, cat, and a human. Other shapes include trees and flowers.<ref name=":0" />  Scholars differ in interpreting the purpose of the designs, but in general, they ascribe religious significance to them.<ref name="Selin2013">Helaine Selin (2013). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=pPqPBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA286 Nature Across Cultures: Views of Nature and the Environment in Non-Western Cultures]''. Springer Science & Business Media;  {{ISBN|978-94-017-0149-5}}. pp. 286–.</ref><ref name="Freund2016">Richard A. Freund (2016). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=CH0oQUHwtrgC&pg=PA22 Digging Through History: Archaeology and Religion from Atlantis to the Holocaust]''. Rowman & Littlefield. {{ISBN|978-1-4422-0883-4}}. pp. 22–.</ref><ref name="Strong2012">Mary Strong (2012). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=dDmLCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA33 Art, Nature, and Religion in the Central Andes: Themes and Variations from Prehistory to the Present]''. University of Texas Press. {{ISBN|978-0-292-73571-2}}. pp. 33–.</ref><ref name="TannerMitchell2016">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=godPDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA110 Religion and the Environment]''. Palgrave Macmillan UK; 2016. {{ISBN|978-0-230-28634-4}}. pp. 110–.</ref> They were designated in 1994 as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].

== Location ==
The high, arid plateau stretches more than {{convert|80|km|mi|abbr=on}} between the towns of [[Nazca]] and [[Palpa, Peru|Palpa]] on the [[Pampas]] de Jumana, approximately {{convert|400|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Lima]]. The main PE-1S [[Pan-American Highway#Argentina and Paraguay|Panamericana Sur]] runs parallel to it. The main concentration of designs is in a {{convert|10|by|4|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} rectangle, south of the hamlet of San Miguel de la Pascana. In this area, the most notable geoglyphs are visible.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

==Rediscovery==
The first published mention of the Nazca Lines was by [[Pedro Cieza de León]] in his book of 1553, and he described them as [[trail blazing|trail markers]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cieza de León |first1=Pedro |author1-link=Pedro Cieza de León |title=La Chronica del Peru |date=1554 |publisher=Martin Nucio |location=Antwerp, Belgium |page=141 |edition=Nuevamente Escrita |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w3dUAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA2-PT84 |language=es |quote=y por algunas partes delos arenales se veen señales, paraque atinen el camino que han de llevar |trans-quote=and in some parts of the desert are seen signs, so that they [the Indians] find the path that has to be taken}}</ref>

In 1569, Luis Monzón reported having seen ancient ruins in Peru, including the remains of "roads".<ref>Luis Monzón (1586) "Descripcion de la tierra del repartimiento de los rucanas antamarcas de la corona real, jurisdicion de la ciudad de Guamanga. año de 1586." in:  Marcos Jiménez de la Espada, ed., ''Relaciones geográficas de Indias: Peru'', volume 1 (Madrid, Spain:  Manuel G. Hernandez, 1881), pp. 197–216.  On [https://books.google.com/books?id=35oaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA210 page 210], Munzón notes seeing ancient ruins, saying ''"y hay señales de calles"'' ("and there are signs of streets"). Munzón asked elderly Indians about the ruins. They told him that before the Inca, a people whom ''"llamaron ''viracochas''"'' ("they called ''viracochas''") inhabited the area, and ''"A éstos les hacian caminos, que hoy dia son vistos, tan anchos como una calle"'' ("To those [places] they made paths, that are seen today, as wide as a street").</ref>

Although the lines were partially visible from nearby hills, the first to report them in the twentieth century were Peruvian military and civilian pilots. In 1927, Peruvian archaeologist [[Toribio Mejía Xesspe]] spotted them while he was hiking through the foothills. He discussed them at a conference in Lima in 1939.<ref>Mejía Xesspe, Toribio (1939) "Acueductos y caminos antiguos de la hoya del Río Grande de Nazca" (Aqueducts and ancient roads of the Rio Grand valley in Nazca), ''Actas y Trabajos Cientificos del 27 Congreso Internacional de Americanistas'' (Proceedings and scientific works of the 27th international congress of American anthropologists), '''1''': 559–569.</ref>

[[Paul Kosok]], an American historian from [[Long Island University]] in New York, is credited as the first scholar to study the Nazca Lines in depth. While in Peru in 1940–41 to study ancient irrigation systems, he flew over the lines and realized that one was in the shape of a bird. Another chance observation helped him see how lines converged on the horizon at the [[winter solstice]] in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Kosok began to study how the lines might have been created, as well as to try to determine their purpose. He was joined by archaeologist Richard P. Schaedel from the United States, and [[Maria Reiche]], a German mathematician and archaeologist from [[Lima]], to try to determine the purpose of the Nazca Lines. They proposed that the figures were designed as astronomical markers on the horizon to show where the sun and other [[Astronomical object|celestial bodies]] rose on significant dates. Archaeologists, historians, and mathematicians have all tried to determine the purpose of the lines.

Determining how they were made has been easier than determining why they were made. Scholars have theorized that the Nazca people could have used simple tools and surveying equipment to construct the lines. Archaeological surveys have found wooden stakes in the ground at the end of some lines, which supports this theory. One such stake was [[carbon-dated]] and was the basis for establishing the age of the design complex.<ref name="Cline">{{cite book |last1=Cline |first1=Eric H. |title=Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology |date=6 November 2018 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-18425-8 |page=292 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QzxhDwAAQBAJ&dq=wooden+stake+nazca+lines+carbon+dated&pg=PA292 |access-date=11 January 2022 |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828022547/https://books.google.com/books?id=QzxhDwAAQBAJ&dq=wooden+stake+nazca+lines+carbon+dated&pg=PA292 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Joe Nickell]], an American investigator of the paranormal, religious artifacts, and folk mysteries, reproduced the figures in the early twenty-first century by using the same tools and technology that would have been available to the Nazca people.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nickell |first1=Joe |title=Unsolved History: Investigating Mysteries of the Past |date=2005 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Ky |isbn=978-0-8131-9137-9 |pages=13–16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1V-BIdlc9YEC&q=nazca&pg=PA6 |access-date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828022548/https://books.google.com/books?id=1V-BIdlc9YEC&q=nazca&pg=PA6 |url-status=live }}</ref> In so doing, he refuted the 1969 hypothesis of [[Erich von Däniken]], who suggested that "[[ancient astronauts]]" had constructed these works.<ref>{{cite book |last1=von Däniken |first1=Erich |title=Chariots of the Gods? |date=1969 |publisher=Souvenir Press, Ltd. |location=London |isbn=978-0-285-62911-0 |pages=30–32 |edition=1989}}</ref> With careful planning and simple technologies, Nickell proved that a small team of people could recreate even the largest figures within days, without any aerial assistance. ''[[Scientific American]]'' characterized Nickell's work as "remarkable in its exactness" when compared to the existing lines.<ref>{{Cite journal |volume=248 |issue=6 |pages=84 |title=The Big Picture |journal=Scientific American |access-date=9 January 2024 |date=1983 |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/issue/sa/1983/06-01/ |archive-date=9 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109122927/https://www.scientificamerican.com/issue/sa/1983/06-01/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Most of the lines are formed on the ground by a shallow trench, with a depth between {{convert|10|and|15|cm|in|abbr=on|sigfig=1}}. Such trenches were made by removing the reddish-brown, [[iron oxide]]-coated pebbles that cover the surface of the Nazca Desert. When this gravel is removed, the light-colored clay earth exposed in the bottom of the trench contrasts sharply in color and tone with the surrounding land surface, producing visible lines. This sub-layer contains high amounts of [[Lime (material)|lime]]. With moisture from morning mist, it hardens to form a protective layer that shields the lines from winds, thereby preventing [[erosion]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dunn |first1=Jon |title=The Glitter in the Green: In Search of Hummingbirds |date=24 June 2021 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-5266-1311-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TLoaEAAAQBAJ&dq=nazca+lines++lime+moisture+protection&pg=PT224 |access-date=11 January 2022 |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828022547/https://books.google.com/books?id=TLoaEAAAQBAJ&dq=nazca+lines++lime+moisture+protection&pg=PT224 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Nazca used this technique to "draw" several hundred simple, but huge, curvilinear animal and human figures. In total, the [[earthworks (engineering)|earthwork]] project is huge and complex: the area encompassing the lines is nearly {{convert|450|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}, and the largest figures can span nearly 370 m (1,200&nbsp;ft).<ref name="natgeo"/> Some figures have been measured: the hummingbird is {{cvt|93|m|ft}} long, the condor is {{cvt|134|m|ft}}, the monkey is {{cvt|93|by|58|m|ft}}, and the spider is {{cvt|47|m|ft}}. The very dry, windless, and constant climate of the Nazca region has preserved the lines well.<ref name=":02" /> 

The discovery of two new small figures was announced in early 2011 by a Japanese team from [[Yamagata University]]. One of these resembles a human head and is dated to the early period of Nazca culture or earlier. The other, undated, is an animal. The team has been conducting fieldwork there since 2006, and by 2012 has found approximately 100 new [[geoglyph]]s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Team finds more Peru geoglyphs |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20110120a6.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715002321/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20110120a6.html |archive-date=15 July 2012 |access-date=9 April 2012 |newspaper=Japan Times |date=20 January 2011}}</ref> In March 2012, the university announced that it would open a new research center at the site in September 2012, related to a longterm project to study the area for the next 15 years.<ref>{{cite news |title=University to open center at Nazca Lines |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120322b3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326155532/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120322b3.html |archive-date=26 March 2012 |access-date=9 April 2012 |newspaper=Japan Times |date=22 March 2012}}</ref>

A June 2019 article in ''[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]'' magazine describes recent work by a multi-disciplinary team of Japanese researchers who identified or re-identified some of the birds depicted.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-identify-exotic-birds-depicted-perus-mysterious-nazca-lines-180972469/ |title="Scientists Identify Exotic Birds Depicted in Peru's Mysterious Nazca Lines" |access-date=23 June 2019 |archive-date=23 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623164658/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-identify-exotic-birds-depicted-perus-mysterious-nazca-lines-180972469/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They note that birds are the animals most frequently depicted in the Nazca geoglyphs. The team believes that some of the bird images that previous researchers assumed to be indigenous species more closely resemble exotic birds found in non-desert habitats. They speculated that "The reason exotic birds were depicted in the geoglyphs instead of indigenous birds is closely related to the purpose of the etching process."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eda |first1=Masaki |last2=Yamasaki |first2=Takeshi |last3=Sakai |first3=Masato |title=Identifying the bird figures of the Nasca pampas: An ornithological perspective |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |date=20 June 2019 |volume=26 |issue=August 2019 |pages=101875 |doi=10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.101875 |bibcode=2019JArSR..26j1875E |s2cid=197562717}}</ref>

The discovery of 143 new geoglyphs on the Nazca Pampa and in the surrounding area was announced in 2019 by [[Yamagata University]] and [[IBM Japan]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.yamagata-u.ac.jp/en/information/info/20191115_01/ |title=143 New Geoglyphs Discovered on the Nasca Pampa and Surrounding Area |publisher=Yamagata University |date=15 November 2019 |access-date=18 November 2019 |archive-date=17 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117232947/https://www.yamagata-u.ac.jp/en/information/info/20191115_01/ |url-status=live }}</ref> One of these was found by using machine learning-based methods.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vincent |first1=James |title=AI helps discover new geoglyph in the Nazca Lines |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/19/20970578/nazca-lines-ai-machine-learning-143-new-geoglyphs-ibm-japan-yamagata-university |website=The Verge |date=19 November 2019 |access-date=24 December 2019 |archive-date=24 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224083709/https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/19/20970578/nazca-lines-ai-machine-learning-143-new-geoglyphs-ibm-japan-yamagata-university |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lines forming the shape of a cat were discovered on a hill in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Peruvian archeologists unveil giant cat carved into Nazca Lines UNESCO site |work=CBC News |language=en-US |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/giant-cat-nazca-1.5769024 |access-date=20 October 2020 |archive-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021011103/https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/giant-cat-nazca-1.5769024 |url-status=live }}</ref> The figure is on a steep slope prone to erosion, explaining why it had not previously been discovered<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-54593295 |title=Large 2,000-year-old cat discovered in Peru's Nazca lines |publisher=BBC News |date=18 October 2020 |access-date=18 October 2020 |archive-date=18 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018174205/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-54593295 |url-status=live }}</ref> until archaeologists carefully studied the image.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Sam |title=Huge cat found etched into desert among Nazca Lines in Peru |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/18/huge-cat-found-etched-desert-nazca-lines-peru |website=The Guardian |date=18 October 2020 |access-date=19 October 2020 |archive-date=19 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019002526/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/18/huge-cat-found-etched-desert-nazca-lines-peru |url-status=live }} (featuring many images and links)</ref> Drones are revealing sites for further research.<ref name="Collyns">{{cite news |last1=Collyns |first1=Dan |title=Scratching the surface: drones cast new light on mystery of Nazca Lines |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/may/24/nazca-lines-drones-new-discoveries-peru |access-date=11 January 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=24 May 2020 |language=en |archive-date=10 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110202735/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/may/24/nazca-lines-drones-new-discoveries-peru |url-status=live }}</ref>

The number of known Nazca geoglyphs amounted to 358 in 2022. Drones now are being used to assist the anthropologists researching the area and are expected to enable them to discover many more.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cassella |first1=Carly |title=Scientists Discover 168 Mysterious Nazca Geoglyphs in The Desert Sands of Peru |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-discover-168-mysterious-nazca-geoglyphs-in-the-desert-sands-of-peru |website=ScienceAlert |date=13 December 2022 |access-date=14 December 2022 |archive-date=14 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214221848/https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-discover-168-mysterious-nazca-geoglyphs-in-the-desert-sands-of-peru |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 2024 AI-assisted discoveries ===
In 2024, a team of archaeologists from the Japanese University of Yamagata’s [https://www-hs.yamagata-u.ac.jp/en/institute/nasca/ Nazca Institute], in collaboration with [[IBM Research]], used artificial intelligence (AI) to discover 303 previously unknown geoglyphs depicting parrots, cats, monkeys, killer whales, and even severed heads near the Nazca Lines in Peru.<ref name="Collyns2024"/>

The field survey took place between September 2022 and February 2023 and was conducted on foot for ground truthing under the permission of the Peruvian Ministry of Culture. It required 1,440 labor hours and resulted in 303 newly confirmed figurative geoglyphs. The 1,309 candidates with high potential were further sorted into three ranks. A total of 1,200 labor hours were spent screening the AI-model geoglyph candidate photos.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=	AI-accelerated Nazca survey nearly doubles the number of known figurative geoglyphs and sheds light on their purpose|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|date=	2024|doi=	10.1073/pnas.2407652121|last1=	Sakai|first1=	Masato|last2=	Sakurai|first2=	Akihisa|last3=	Lu|first3=	Siyuan|last4=	Olano|first4=	Jorge|last5=	Albrecht|first5=	Conrad M.|last6=	Hamann|first6=	Hendrik F.|last7=	Freitag|first7=	Marcus|volume=	121|issue=	40|pages=	e2407652121|pmid=	39312651|pmc=	11459208|bibcode=	2024PNAS..12107652S}}</ref>

==Speculation regarding purpose==
[[File:Nazca Lines SPOT 1311.jpg|right|thumb|Nazca Lines seen from [[SPOT Satellite]]]]
[[Anthropologist]]s, [[ethnologist]]s, and [[archaeologist]]s have studied the ancient Nazca culture to try to determine the purpose of the lines and figures.

[[Paul Kosok]] and [[Maria Reiche]] advanced a purpose related to [[astronomy]] and [[cosmology]], as has been common in monuments of other ancient cultures: the lines were intended to act as a kind of [[observatory]], to point to the places on the distant horizon where the sun and other celestial bodies rose or set at the [[solstice]]s. Many prehistoric [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] cultures in the Americas and elsewhere constructed earthworks that combined such astronomical sighting with their religious cosmology, as did the late [[Mississippian culture]] at [[Cahokia]] and other sites in present-day United States. Another example is [[Stonehenge]] in England. [[Newgrange]] in Ireland has tombs that are oriented to admit light at the winter solstice.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Sliver of sunlight breaks through to Newgrange burial chamber on overcast winter solstice morning |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/12/21/sliver-of-sunlight-breaks-through-to-newgrange-burial-chamber-on-overcast-winter-solstice-morning/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref>

[[Gerald Hawkins]] and [[Anthony Aveni]], experts in [[archaeoastronomy]], concluded in 1990 that the evidence was insufficient to support such an astronomical explanation.<ref name="isbn0-8160-2581-9">{{cite book |author=Cameron, Ian |title=Kingdom of the Sun God: A History of the Andes and Their People |publisher=Facts on File |location=New York |date=1990 |page=[https://archive.org/details/kingdomofsungodh00came/page/46 46] |isbn=0-8160-2581-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/kingdomofsungodh00came/page/46}}</ref>

Maria Reiche asserted that some or all of the figures represented [[constellation]]s. By 1998, Phyllis B. Pitluga, a protégé of Reiche and senior astronomer at the [[Adler Planetarium]] in Chicago, had concluded that the animal figures were "representations of heavenly shapes." According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', Pitluga "contends they are not shapes of constellations, but of what might be called ''counter constellations'', the irregularly-shaped dark patches within the twinkling expanse of the [[Milky Way]]."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/15/world/maria-reiche-95-keeper-of-an-ancient-peruvian-puzzle-dies.html?pagewanted=all Robert McG. Thomas Jr, "Maria Reiche, 95, Keeper of an Ancient Peruvian Puzzle, Dies"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304172331/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/15/world/maria-reiche-95-keeper-of-an-ancient-peruvian-puzzle-dies.html?pagewanted=all |date=4 March 2018 }}, ''The New York Times,'' 15 June 1998</ref> Anthony Aveni criticized her work for failing to account for all the details.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

Alberto Rossel Castro (1977) proposed a multi-functional interpretation of the geoglyphs. He classified them into three groups: the first appeared to be tracks connected to irrigation and field division, the second are lines that are [[Cartesian coordinate system|axes]] connected with mounds and cairns, and the third was linked to astronomical interpretations.<ref>Rossel Castro, Albert (1977) ''Arqueología Sur del Perú'', Lima: Editorial Universo</ref>

In 1985, archaeologist [[Johan Reinhard]] published archaeological, [[ethnographic]], and historical data demonstrating that worship of mountains and other water sources predominated in Nazca religion and economy from ancient to recent times. He theorized that the lines and figures were part of religious practices involving the worship of deities associated with the availability of water, which directly related to the success and productivity of crops. He interpreted the lines as sacred paths leading to places where these deities could be worshiped. The figures were symbols representing animals and objects meant to invoke the aid of the deities in supplying water. The precise meanings of many of the individual geoglyphs remain unknown.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

[[Henri Stierlin]], a Swiss [[art historian]] specializing in Egypt and the Middle East, published a book in 1983 linking the Nazca Lines to the production of ancient textiles that archeologists have found wrapping [[mummies]] of the [[Paracas culture]].<ref>Stierlin (1983) {{page needed|date=January 2020}}</ref> He contended that the people may have used the lines and [[Trapezoid|trapezes]] as giant, primitive [[loom]]s to fabricate the extremely long strings and wide pieces of textiles typical of the area. According to his theory, the figurative patterns (smaller and less common) were meant only for ritualistic purposes. This theory is not widely accepted, although scholars have noted similarities in patterns between the textiles and the Nazca Lines. They interpret these similarities as arising from the common culture.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

The first systematic field study of the geoglyphs was made by Markus Reindel and Johny Cuadrado Isla. Since 1996, they have documented and excavated more than 650 sites.  They compared the iconography of the lines to  ceramics of the cultures. As archeologists, they believe that the figurative motifs of geoglyphs can be dated to having been made between 600 and 200 BC.<ref>Reindel and Wagner, 2009 {{page needed|date=January 2020}}</ref>

Based on the results of geophysical investigations and the observation of geological faults, David Johnson argued that some geoglyphs followed the paths of aquifers from which aqueducts (or ''[[puquios]]'') collected water.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-1-4615-0597-6_12 |chapter=The Correlation Between Geoglyphs and Subterranean Water Resources in the Río Grande de Nazca Drainage |title=Andean Archaeology II |year=2002 |last1=Johnson |first1=David W. |last2=Proulx |first2=Donald A. |last3=Mabee |first3=Stephen B. |pages=307–332 |isbn=978-1-4613-5150-4}}</ref>

[[Nicola Masini]] and [[Giuseppe Orefici]] have conducted research in Pampa de Atarco, about 10&nbsp;km (6&nbsp;mi) south of Pampa de Nasca, which they believe reveals a spatial, functional and religious relationship between these geoglyphs and the temples of [[Cahuachi]].<ref name="Masini et al 2016">{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-47052-8_12 |chapter=Cahuachi and Pampa de Atarco: Towards Greater Comprehension of Nasca Geoglyphs |title=The Ancient Nasca World |year=2016 |last1=Masini |first1=Nicola |last2=Orefici |first2=Giuseppe |last3=Danese |first3=Maria |last4=Pecci |first4=Antonio |last5=Scavone |first5=Manuela |last6=Lasaponara |first6=Rosa |pages=239–278 |isbn=978-3-319-47050-4}}</ref>  In particular, using  [[remote sensing]] techniques (from satellite to drone based remote sensing), they investigated  and found "five groups of geoglyphs, each of them characterized by a specific motif and shape, and associated with a distinct function."<ref name="Masini et al 2016"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Masini |first1=Nicola |last2=Lasaponara |first2=Rosa |title=Satellite and close range analysis for the surveillance and knowledge improvement of the Nasca geoglyphs |journal=Remote Sensing of Environment |date=January 2020 |volume=236 |pages=111447 |doi=10.1016/j.rse.2019.111447 |bibcode=2020RSEnv.23611447M |doi-access=free|hdl=11563/141457 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> They identified a ceremonial one, characterized by meandering motifs. Another is related to calendrical purpose, as proved by the presence of radial centers aligned along the directions of winter solstice and equinox sunset.  As have earlier scholars, the two Italians believe that the geoglyphs were the venues of events linked to the agriculture calendar. These also served to strengthen social cohesion among various groups of pilgrims, sharing common ancestors and religious beliefs.<ref name="Masini et al 2016"/>

===Alternative speculations===
[[file:NEO nazca lines big.jpg|right|thumb|Satellite picture of an area containing lines: north is to the right (coordinates: {{coord|14.7|S|75.|W}})]]<!-- note image is rotated approx. 90° cw, with north at right -->
Other theories were that the geometric lines could indicate water flow or irrigation schemes, or be a part of rituals to "summon" water. The spiders, birds, and plants may be fertility symbols. It also has been theorized that the lines could act as an [[astronomical calendar]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Cynthia Stokes |title=Big History |publisher=The New Press |location=New York |date=2007 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bighistoryfrombi00brow/page/167 167] |isbn=978-1-59558-196-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/bighistoryfrombi00brow/page/167}}</ref>

Phyllis Pitluga, senior astronomer at the [[Adler Planetarium]] and a protégé of Reiche, performed computer-aided studies of star alignments. She asserted the giant spider figure is an [[Anamorphosis|anamorphic]] diagram of the [[Orion (constellation)|constellation Orion]]. She further suggested that three of the straight lines leading to the figure were used to track the changing [[declinations]] of the three stars of [[Orion's Belt]]. In a critique of her analysis, Dr. Anthony F. Aveni noted she did not account for the other 12 lines of the figure.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

He commented generally on her conclusions, saying:
<blockquote>I really had trouble finding good evidence to back up what she contended. Pitluga never laid out the criteria for selecting the lines she chose to measure, nor did she pay much attention to the archaeological data Clarkson and Silverman had unearthed. Her case did little justice to other information about the coastal cultures, save applying, with subtle contortions, Urton's representations of constellations from the highlands. As historian [[Jacquetta Hawkes]] might ask: was she getting the pampa she desired?<ref>Aveni, Anthony F. (2006). ''Between the Lines: The Mystery of the Giant Ground Drawings of Ancient Nasca, Peru ''. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press.  {{ISBN|0-292-70496-8}} p. 205 [https://archive.org/details/betweenlinesmyst00aven/page/204 <!-- quote=pitluga nazca lines. -->]</ref></blockquote>

=== Pseudoscientific extraterrestrial origin ===
Swiss [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] writer [[Erich von Däniken]] was fascinated by Nazca and was also a strong believer in extraterrestrial visitations. Von Däniken published a best-selling book titled ''[[Chariots of the Gods?]]'' in 1968. In this book he describes his theory that the lines were used as landing sites for UFOs.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is the mystery behind the ancient Nazca lines? |url=https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/what-is-the-mystery-behind-the-ancient-nazca-lines-50318 |website=TRTWORLD |access-date=29 April 2022 |archive-date=29 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429191917/https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/what-is-the-mystery-behind-the-ancient-nazca-lines-50318 |url-status=live }}</ref> Däniken claimed that the Nazca lines site reflected visits by astronauts from other worlds, who became the creators of ancient civilizations. According to Von Däniken, Sanskrit literature describes a story in which an aircraft landed on Earth, and the local people watched in amazement as "human-like beings with golden, shimmering skins" walked, mined for metals and then flew away in their ship.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fagan |first1=Brian |date=29 November 1998 |title=Maybe Not |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-nov-29-bk-48636-story.html |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=29 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429191917/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-nov-29-bk-48636-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> These [[ancient astronauts]] supposedly soon returned where they built landing tracks and then eventually left forever. The amazed Native Americans then considered Nazca a place of pilgrimage and generations of their people built more figures and runways as an invitation for gods to return, but they never did. 

At the time of Erich von Däniken's publishing of ''Chariots of the Gods?'', scientists and archeologists such as [[Maria Reiche]] declared that his ideas were absurd and should be discarded. These scientists and archeologists also were able to prove that these lines could have been made using simple tools that would have been available to the people at the time they were created. Erich von Däniken's books ''Arrival of the Gods'' and ''Chariots of the Gods?'' were considered to not have any intellectual credibility or literary merit. Before Von Däniken's work, other authors had presented ideas of extraterrestrial contact with ancient humans, but he failed to credit these authors, even when making the same claims and also using identical or similar evidence. Nevertheless, Von Däniken's books drew in thousands of visitors and believers to the site.<ref>{{cite web |date=25 August 2020 |title=The Nazca lines-Messages to the Gods? |url=https://blog.globusjourneys.com/2020/08/25/the-nazca-lines-messages-to-the-gods/ |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=Revealing Travel |publisher=Globus |archive-date=29 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429191920/https://blog.globusjourneys.com/2020/08/25/the-nazca-lines-messages-to-the-gods/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Preservation and environmental concerns==
Conservationists who seek to preserve the Nazca Lines are concerned about threats of pollution and [[erosion]] caused by [[deforestation]] in the region.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

{{quote|The Lines themselves are superficial, they are only 10 to 30&nbsp;cm (4 to 12&nbsp;in) deep and could be washed away... Nazca has only ever received a small amount of rain. But now there are great changes to the weather all over the world. The Lines cannot resist heavy rain without being damaged.|Viktoria Nikitzki of the [[Maria Reiche]] Centre<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/flooding-and-tourism-threaten-peru-s-mysterious-nazca-lines-553471.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/flooding-and-tourism-threaten-peru-s-mysterious-nazca-lines-553471.html |archive-date=2022-06-18 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Flooding and tourism threaten Peru's mysterious Nazca Lines |work=The Independent |access-date=2021-06-17}}</ref>}}

After flooding and mudslides in the area in mid-February 2007, Mario Olaechea Aquije, archaeological resident from Peru's [[National Institute of Culture]], and a team of specialists surveyed the area. He said, "[T]he mudslides and heavy rains did not appear to have caused any significant damage to the Nazca Lines". He noted that the nearby Southern [[Pan-American Highway]] did suffer damage, and "the damage done to the roads should serve as a reminder to just how fragile these figures are."<ref>Living in Peru. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100822140301/https://www.livinginperu.com/news/3228 "Peru: Nazca Lines escape mudslides"], ''Living in Peru'', 20 February 2007. Accessed 2 April 2007.</ref>

In 2012, squatters occupied land in the area, damaging a Nazca-era cemetery and allowing their pigs to have access to some of the land.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Taj |first1=Mitra |title=Pigs and squatters threaten Peru's Nazca lines |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-peru-nazca-squatters-idUSBRE87E0R720120817 |website=Reuters |access-date=2 October 2020 |language=en |date=17 August 2012 |archive-date=7 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007230550/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-peru-nazca-squatters-idUSBRE87E0R720120817 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2013, machinery used in a limestone quarry was reported to have destroyed a small section of a line, and caused damage to another.<ref>{{cite web |author=Manuel Vigo |url=https://www.peruthisweek.com/news-3743-peru-heavy-machinery-destroys-nazca-lines/ |title=Peru: Heavy machinery destroys Nazca lines |publisher=Peru this Week |date=14 March 2013 |access-date=30 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729023312/https://www.peruthisweek.com/news-3743-peru-heavy-machinery-destroys-nazca-lines |archive-date=29 July 2013}}</ref>

In December 2014, a controversy arose involving [[Greenpeace]] activity on the site, as Greenpeace activists set up a banner within the lines of one of the geoglyphs, damaging the site. Greenpeace issued an apology following the incident,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30422994 |title=Greenpeace sorry for Nazca lines stunt in Peru |date=11 December 2014 |access-date=9 September 2016 |archive-date=29 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729092936/http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30422994 |url-status=live }}</ref> though one of the activists was convicted and fined for their part in causing damage.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://santiagotimes.cl/2017/05/20/greenpeace-activist-fined-sentenced-for-damaging-Nazca-lines-in-Peru/ |title=Greenpeace activist fined, sentenced for damaging Nazca Lines in Peru |date=20 May 2017 |access-date=26 November 2017 |archive-date=23 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123123702/http://santiagotimes.cl/2017/05/20/greenpeace-activist-fined-sentenced-for-damaging-nazca-lines-in-peru/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Greenpeace incident also directed attention to other damage to geoglyphs outside of the World Heritage area caused in 2012 and 2013 by off-road vehicles of the [[Dakar Rally]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dube |first1=Ryan |last2=Kozak |first2=Robert |title=Peruvians Spar Over Protecting Ancient Sites |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/peruvians-spar-over-protecting-ancient-sites-1419813859 |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |language=en |date=29 December 2014 |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-date=7 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807023228/https://www.wsj.com/articles/peruvians-spar-over-protecting-ancient-sites-1419813859 |url-status=live }}</ref> which is visible from satellite imagery.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hesse |first1=Ralf |title=Combining Structure-from-Motion with high and intermediate resolution satellite images to document threats to archaeological heritage in arid environments |journal=Journal of Cultural Heritage |date=March 2015 |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=192–201 |doi=10.1016/j.culher.2014.04.003}}</ref>

In January 2018, an errant [[truck driver]] was arrested but later released for lack of evidence indicating any intent other than a simple error. He had damaged three of the geoglyphs by leaving substantial tire marks across an area of approximately 46 m by 107 m (150 by 350 feet).<ref>{{cite news |first=Eli |last=Rosenberg |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/02/01/a-truck-driver-inexplicably-plowed-over-a-2000-year-old-historical-site-in-peru-damaging-the-designs/ |title=A truck driver inexplicably plowed over a 2,000-year-old site in Peru, damaging the designs |date=1 February 2018 |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=3 February 2018 |archive-date=3 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203010133/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/02/01/a-truck-driver-inexplicably-plowed-over-a-2000-year-old-historical-site-in-peru-damaging-the-designs/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=7 February 2018 |title=Truck tracks, wolf lawsuit and a fertility first |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-01711-0 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=554 |issue=7691 |pages=150–151 |doi=10.1038/d41586-018-01711-0 |bibcode=2018Natur.554..150. |access-date=4 May 2024 |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117095505/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-01711-0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2025, the [[Ministry of Culture (Peru)|Ministry of Culture]] ordered a 42% reduction in the land area of the Nazca lines reserve from about 5,600 square kilometers to roughly 3,200 square kilometers, citing updated archeological studies. The reduction was criticized amid concerns over informal mining in the area<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peru reduces Nazca Lines park by 42%, raising concerns over environmental and heritage risks |url=https://apnews.com/article/peru-nazca-reserve-reduce-environment-illegal-mining-ae4a9f082d319de040709030ec669c13 |website=AP News |date=3 June 2025 |last1=Grattan |first1=Steven }}</ref> and led to the ministry reversing its decision shortly afterwards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peru restores Nazca Lines protection after backlash over mining risk |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/world/948766/peru-restores-nazca-lines-protection-after-backlash-over-mining-risk/story/ |website=GMA News |date=9 June 2025 }}</ref>

==Palpa glyphs==
The [[Paracas culture]] is considered by some historians to be the possible precursor that influenced the development of the Nazca Lines. In 2018, drones used by archaeologists revealed 25 [[geoglyphs]] in the [[Palpa province]] that are being assigned to the Paracas culture. Many predate the associated Nazca lines by a thousand years. Some demonstrate a significant difference in the subjects and locations, such as some being on hillsides.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greshko |first1=Michael |date=5 April 2018 |title=Massive Ancient Drawings Found in Peruvian Desert |work=National Geographic |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/04/new-nasca-nazca-lines-discovery-peru-archaeology/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805141912/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/04/new-nasca-nazca-lines-discovery-peru-archaeology/ |archive-date=5 August 2019}}</ref> Their co-discoverer, Peruvian archaeologist Luis Jaime Castillo Butters, indicates that many of these newly discovered geoglyphs represent warriors.<ref>{{cite news |title=Archaeologists discover new geoglyphs near Nazca Lines in Peru |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-peru-archaeology/archaeologists-discover-new-geoglyphs-near-nazca-lines-in-peru-idUSKCN1IT1TG |work=Reuters |date=29 May 2018 |access-date=20 July 2019 |archive-date=20 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720182908/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-peru-archaeology/archaeologists-discover-new-geoglyphs-near-nazca-lines-in-peru-idUSKCN1IT1TG |url-status=live }}</ref> The Paracas is the same group that some believe created the well-known geoglyph known as the [[Paracas Candelabra]].

==Chinchas glyphs==
Farther north from the Nazca, Palpas region and along the Peruvian coast are other glyphs from the [[Chincha culture]] that have also been discovered.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stanish |first1=Charles |last2=Tantaleán |first2=Henry |last3=Nigra |first3=Benjamin T. |last4=Griffin |first4=Laura |title=A 2,300-year-old architectural and astronomical complex in the Chincha Valley, Peru |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=20 May 2014 |volume=111 |issue=20 |pages=7218–7223 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1406501111 |pmid=24799703 |pmc=4034249 |bibcode=2014PNAS..111.7218S |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Images==
The following are images of some of the Nazca lines.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 54.JPG|The Spider (''la Araña'')<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/participacion/las-fotos-de-los-lectores/20190917/47406005226/lineas-nazca-peru-arana.html |title=La Araña de las líneas de Nazca |language=es |date=17 September 2019 |work=[[La Vanguardia (Argentina)|La Vanguardia]] |access-date=4 May 2024 |archive-date=21 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121204357/https://www.lavanguardia.com/participacion/las-fotos-de-los-lectores/20190917/47406005226/lineas-nazca-peru-arana.html |url-status=live |quote=Julia Sánchez Cano comparte en Las Fotos de los Lectores de La Vanguardia una imagen de la Araña que forma parte del conjunto de las líneas de Nazca, en Perú. }}</ref>
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 61.JPG|The Tree (''el árbol'')<ref name=biobio>{{cite web |url=https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencia/2023/07/02/lineas-de-nazca-los-misteriosos-geoglifos-que-desatan-teorias-sobre-su-origen-e-intrigan-a-la-ciencia.shtml |title=Líneas de Nazca: los misteriosos geoglifos que desatan teorías sobre su origen e intrigan a la ciencia |language=es |date=2 July 2023 |first=Denisse |last=Charpentier |work=[[BioBioChile]] |access-date=4 May 2024 |archive-date=3 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803002030/https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencia/2023/07/02/lineas-de-nazca-los-misteriosos-geoglifos-que-desatan-teorias-sobre-su-origen-e-intrigan-a-la-ciencia.shtml |url-status=live |quote=Figuras como el colibrí, la ballena, el mono, el astronauta, el espiral, el perro, la mano, el árbol y la flor, son algunos de los más emblemáticos. }}</ref>
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 52.JPG|The Hummingbird (''el colibrí'')<ref name=cronica>{{cite web |url=https://www.cronica.com.mx/academia/enigmaticas-lineas-nazca-posiblemente-senalizaban-caminos-senderos.html |title=Las enigmáticas líneas de Nazca posiblemente señalizaban caminos y senderos |date=16 January 2021 |work=[[La Crónica de Hoy]] |access-date=4 May 2024 |language=es |archive-date=8 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508060546/https://www.cronica.com.mx/academia/enigmaticas-lineas-nazca-posiblemente-senalizaban-caminos-senderos.html |url-status=live |quote=Las figuras más representativas son conocidas como la araña, el mono y el colibrí, además del cóndor, el pelícano, la gaviota, el caracol, la ballena, la serpiente y la llama, además de otras que representan plantas o figuras humanas. }}</ref>
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 55.JPG|The Condor (''el cóndor'')<ref name="elclarinete">{{cite web |url=https://www.elclarinete.com.mx/este-es-el-misterio-de-las-lineas-de-nazca-en-peru/ |title=Este es el misterio de las líneas de Nazca en Perú |date=7 March 2023 |access-date=4 May 2024 |language=es |work=El Clarinete |archive-date=8 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308140020/https://www.elclarinete.com.mx/este-es-el-misterio-de-las-lineas-de-nazca-en-peru/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 39.JPG|The Whale (''la ballena'')<ref name=cronica/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/archaeologists-discover-new-geoglyphs-near-nazca-lines-in-peru/4413464.html |title=Archaeologists Discover New Geoglyphs Near Nazca Lines in Peru |work=[[Voice of America]] |location=Palpa, Peru |date=28 May 2018 |access-date=4 May 2024 |agency=[[Reuters]] |archive-date=28 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528222205/https://www.voanews.com/a/archaeologists-discover-new-geoglyphs-near-nazca-lines-in-peru/4413464.html |url-status=live |quote=An aerial view of the Whale Nazca Lines in the Nazca desert, Peru. }}</ref>
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 46.JPG|The Astronaut (''el astronauta'')<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2021/12/23/could-this-southern-california-man-have-solved-the-mystery-of-the-nazca-lines/ |title=Could this Southern California man have solved the mystery of the Nazca Lines? |date=23 December 2021 |access-date=4 May 2024 |url-access=subscription |work=[[Orange County Register]] |archive-date=14 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414204212/https://www.ocregister.com/2021/12/23/could-this-southern-california-man-have-solved-the-mystery-of-the-nazca-lines/ |url-status=live |quote=They saw a monkey, a parrot, a flower, a hummingbird, a giant figure that’s been dubbed the astronaut and a series of spirals and straight lines. }}</ref><ref name="elclarinete"/>
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 58.JPG|The Pelican{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 50.JPG|The Dog (''el perro'')<ref name=biobio/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/news/new-nazca-lines-geoglyphs-uncovered-by-gales-and-sandstorms-in-peru-9645983.html |title=New Nazca Lines geoglyphs uncovered by gales and sandstorms in Peru |date=4 August 2014 |work=[[The Independent]] |first=Lizzie |last=Dearden |access-date=4 May 2024 |archive-date=23 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423055612/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/news/new-nazca-lines-geoglyphs-uncovered-by-gales-and-sandstorms-in-peru-9645983.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 49.JPG|The Monkey (''el mono'')<ref name=biobio/>
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 64.JPG|The Heron (''la garza'')<ref name=vasco>{{cite web |url=https://www.diariovasco.com/sociedad/201601/30/nasa-desvela-impresionantes-imagenes-20160130183825.html |title=La Nasa desvela imágenes de las misteriosas líneas de Nazca |date=30 January 2016 |work=Diario Vasco |language=es |access-date=4 May 2024 |archive-date=4 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504191128/https://www.diariovasco.com/sociedad/201601/30/nasa-desvela-impresionantes-imagenes-20160130183825.html |url-status=live |quote=Los más conocidos son los dibujos de aves, de entre 259 y 275 metros de largo (colibríes, cóndores, la garza, la grulla, el pelícano, la gaviota, el loro y otras), el mono, la araña, el caracol, la lagartija, la ballena, el perro, las dos llamas, la serpiente y la iguana. }}</Ref>
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 56.JPG|Phytomorphic glyphs
File:Líneas de Nazca, Nazca, Perú, 2015-07-29, DD 62.JPG|The Hands (''las manos'')<ref name=biobio/>
File:04-Nazca Lines-nX-36.jpg|The Parrot (''el loro'')<ref name=vasco/>
File:04-Nazca Lines-nX-54.jpg|The Lizard (''la lagartija'')<ref name=vasco/>
File:04-Nazca Lines-nX-58.jpg|The Snail (''el caracol'')<ref name=cronica/><ref name=vasco/> or The Spiral (''el espiral'')<ref name=biobio/>
File:Nazca lines fiore, Nasca.jpg|The Flower (''la flor'')<ref name=biobio/>
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Atacama Giant]]
* [[Band of Holes]]
* [[Blythe Intaglios]]
* [[Celestial mechanics]]
* [[Cerne Abbas Giant]]
* [[History of Peru]]
* [[Iperú]]
* [[List of archaeoastronomical sites by country]]
* [[Marilyn Bridges]]
* [[Simone Waisbard]]
* [[Tourism in Peru]]
* [[Uffington White Horse]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==
* [[Aveni, Anthony|Aveni, Anthony F.]] (ed.) (1990). ''The Lines of Nazca''. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society. {{ISBN|0-87169-183-3}}
* [[Kenneth L. Feder|Feder, Kenneth L.]] Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology. 6th ed., Oxford University Press, 2008. 
* Haughton, Brian (2007). ''Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, and Ancient Mysteries''. Career Press. {{ISBN|1-56414-897-1}}
* Johnson, Emma (2007). [https://pseudoarchaeology.org/b01-johnson.html The 'Mysterious' Nazca Lines]. PARA Web Bibliography B-01.
* [[Kosok, Paul]] (1965). ''Life, Land and Water in Ancient Peru,'' Brooklyn: Long Island University Press.
* Lambers, Karsten (2006). ''The Geoglyphs of Palpa, Peru: Documentation, Analysis, and Interpretation''. Lindensoft Verlag, Aichwald/Germany. {{ISBN|3-929290-32-4}}
* [[Nickell, Joe]] (1983). ''Skeptical Inquirer'' [https://www.csicop.org/si/show/nazca_drawings_revisited The Nazca Lines Revisited: Creation of a Full-Sized Duplicate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613013809/https://www.csicop.org/si/show/nazca_drawings_revisited |date=13 June 2016 }}.
* Reindel, Marcus, Wagner, Günther A. (2009) (Eds.) New Technologies for Archaeology: Multidisciplinary Investigations in Nasca and Palpa, Peru. Springer, Heidelberg, Berlin
* [[Johan Reinhard|Reinhard, Johan]] (1996) (6th ed.) ''The Nazca Lines: A New Perspective on their Origin and Meaning''. Lima: Los Pinos. {{ISBN|84-89291-17-9}}
* Sauerbier, Martin (2009). ''GIS-based Management and Analysis of the Geoglyphs in the Palpa Region''. ETH {{doi|10.3929/ethz-a-005940066}}.
* [[Henri Stierlin|Stierlin, Henri]] (1983). ''La Clé du Mystère''. Paris: Albin Michel. {{ISBN|2-226-01864-6}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Nazca lines}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922041555/http://www.discover-peru.org/the-nazca-lines/ |date=22 September 2023 |title=Nazca Designs and Lines at Discover Peru |url-status=dead}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008174921/https://hallofmaat.com/modules.php?name=Articles&file=article&sid=96 |date=8 October 2013 |title=Grounding the Nasca Balloon |url-status=dead}} by Katherine Reece

{{World Heritage Sites in Peru}}
{{Archaeological sites in Peru}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nazca Lines| ]]
[[Category:5th-century BC establishments]]
[[Category:1927 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Archaeoastronomy]]
[[Category:Geoglyphs]]
[[Category:Prehistoric art]]
[[Category:Land art]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Peru]]
[[Category:Prehistoric inscriptions]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in the Department of Ica]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in the Department of Ica]]
[[Category:Nazca culture]]