Nazca Lines (Peru)

Image taken from: http://www.old-earth.info/worldages/images/spider-nazca-lines.gif

What are the Nazca Lines? The Nazca lines are geoglyphs or pictures on the ground. The lines form complex figures: monkeys, spiders, hummingbirds, condors, pelicans, seagulls, orcas, snakes, alligators, human figures, and hundreds more. These shapes can be only seen in their entirety from an aerial view.

Where are the Nazca Lines?

The Nazca lines are located in the Pampa of Jumana in the Nazca Desert. They are between the cities of Palpa and Nazca, in Ica, Peru. The Nazca Lines are considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Who drew the Nazca Lines?

There are various theories about how the Nazca Lines came to be. Scientists believe the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca culture between 200 BCE and 700 CE. They were made in the ground by removing the reddish pebbles on the surface and uncovering the light-coloured ground underneath.

Why were the Nazca Lines made?

Many scholars believe the lines were created for religious purposes. The Nazca people may have created them to be seen by their gods in the sky. Others think that the lines were intended to act as a kind of astronomical observatory, to point to the places on the horizon where the sun and other heavenly bodies rose or set. There are numerous theories about the purposes of the Nazca lines.

Questions

Intermediate/Senior

The purpose of the Nazca lines is still debated by scientists and scholars. Find out about the theories behind the purpose of the lines. Below are some guiding questions:

1) Why did the ancient Nazca construct the Nazca lines? 2) What did Erich van Daniken claim that the Nazca lines

in Peru were created for? What do you think about this theory?

3) How do you think the Nazca Lines in Peru were

formed?

Links: http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/nazca/esp_lineas_nazca_2.htm

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/nasca-lines-the-buried-secrets-4477/Overview

http://www.viewzone.com/nazcatheories.html

Videos/YouTube Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5q-T8PJu2c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26OnaeDS9EM&playnext=1&list=PL85DDA33D427ACDEA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcCJG4pSqDM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMkMZVfb6cs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXLhdsySV9Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2riPVHnGS9I