THE NAZCA LINES
Context
- Recently, a giant cat geoglyph was discovered on a hill at the famous Nazca Lines site in Peru
WHAT ARE THE NAZCA LINES?
- These are a group of geoglyphs known for the depictions of larger-than-life animals, plants and imaginary beings.
- Geoglyphs are the large designs made on the ground by creators using elements of the landscape such as stones, gravel, dirt or lumber.
- These are believed to be the greatest known archaeological enigma, owing to their size, continuity, nature and quality. The images on the ground are so big in size that the best way to get a full view of them is overflying them.
- Drawn more than 2 millennia ago on the surface of southern Peru’s arid Pampa Colorada (“Red Plain” in Spanish), the geoglyphs feature different subjects, but mainly plants and animals.
- The Lines were first discovered in 1927, and were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.