The Nazca Lines Part 1

Astonishing Legends vor 3 Jahren

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1:59:46

On a high desert plateau in southwestern Peru, only about 230
miles south of the capital Lima, hundreds of massive and
mysterious artistic designs are scraped into the arid soil.
Technically known as geoglyphs, these figures range from straight
lines and geometric shapes to biomorphic caricatures of animals,
plants, and a humanoid. Typically composed of single,
continuous outlines, the earthworks can vary in size from 440 to
1200 yards across or between 400 and 1100 meters. The lines
combined measure more than 800 miles in length or 1290
kilometers. The area containing the geoglyphs is roughly a
whopping 170 square miles or 440 square kilometers.
Although the lines only measure from about twelve inches to six
feet in width and four to six inches deep, many can be seen from
space leading to hypotheses about their purpose. The lines
are believed to have been created by first the Paracas and then
the Nazca cultures over a period from 400 BCE to 500 CE by
removing a shallow layer of darker, oxidized topsoil to reveal
the lighter clay-like dirt below. So we may know the how of
the lines, but what about the why? Alternative researchers
wonder about the purpose of the art if most couldn't readily be
seen by their creators at ground level. Were the Nazca
peoples, like the Paracas culture before them, creating these
designs for metaphoric rituals to gain self-control of their
subsistence, or were these societies imploring the gods for
help? The more popular illustrations include creatures like
a spider, a hummingbird, fish, a heron, and a monkey. These
could be seen as natural elements that may connect spiritually to
symbols for fertility and agriculture seen in other Nazca
art. But one humanoid depiction called the "Owl Man" by
some and "The Astronaut" by others particularly sparks the
imagination of unconventional thinkers. Join us as we begin
to scratch the surface of the wonder and meaning of what has
become known as the Nazca Lines.

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