It is often said that the surprising Nazca lines, a set of geoglyphs located in Peru, were discovered by the scientist María Reiche, but the origins of their appearance date back many centuries before.
Its creation is attributed to the passage of different civilizations during several centuries, specifically the Paracas and the Nazca. Its modern discovery dates back to the 20th century, which started an endless research and preservation on these figures.
The Nazca lines comprise more than a hundred figures including geometric, anthropomorphic and animal.
Its origin and function have been the subject of different scientific and pseudo-scientific theories, being considered one of the first manifestations of extraterrestrial influence on earth.
The investigations have ruled out from the beginning any extraterrestrial or supernatural origin on the conception and function of the geoglyphs.
The first in-depth investigations and the preservation of these ancient manifestations are mainly due to the work promoted by the German-Peruvian scientist María Reiche (1903-1988).
She dedicated her entire life to the study of lines and their social, astronomical and religious implications, as well as their relationship with the arid environment in which they are located.
In 1994 the Nazca lines were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Discovery and studies of the Nazca lines
The first recorded sighting of the Nazca lines dates from the year 1547, by the conqueror and chronicler Pedro Cieza de León (1520-1554), who described for the first time the existence of a “lines” in the Nazca desert.
This discovery, which for many years was interpreted as a series of pathways, did not lead to greater interest until 380 years later.
In 1927, the arrival of the archaeologist Toribio Mejía Xesspe (1896-1983), as part of the Third Archaeological Expedition of the UNMSM, would mark the modern discovery of the Nazca lines, whose impressions would be published 12 years later by Toribio himself, qualifying the geoglyphs as "sacred roads".
Likewise, it is stated that during the first half of the 20th century the lines could be observed from the heights by the military and civilians who flew over the region.
The opening of commercial flights between Lima and the city of Arequipa allowed us to see the ancient figures. By then, a closer interaction was not possible.
Maria Reiche's arrival in the Nazca desert occurred at the end of the Second World War, and it was she who with great will shaped the historical significance and the investigative and conservation value that the geoglyphs deserved.
He made the first formal investigations and supervised all approaches made by other groups until the end of his days. He made sure that the Nazca lines did not become a simple place to satisfy curiosity without professionalism.
Origin of the figures
There are thousands of drawings that adorn the region, among which figures such as trapezoids, triangles and spirals stand out, even the most popular animal and human forms: the spider, the hummingbird, the monkey, the condor, the tree, the hands, the flower, the owl-eyed man (aka "astronaut"), and so on.
The origin of these figures dates back to the Nazca civilization, although new evidence has made it possible to ensure that some figures could have started long before that one.
For example, during the Paracas culture, which inhabited the region between 700 BC and 100 AD, when the beginning is estimated to be born.
The human figures visible today in the Nazca desert are attributed to the Paracas, as well as 75 other geoglyphs, which even show different techniques in their realization, with very slight modifications that could have been made by the Nazca centuries later.
Research has shown that the lines cannot be considered as the result of a single historical moment, but rather the combination and continuity of several.
The clearest difference in the geoglyphs made by the Paracas is that they are found on slopes, and not on flat ground, which is why they could be seen more easily from the desert valley; not only from above.
The Nazca civilization existed for approximately eight centuries in a region of difficult conditions.
This prompted them to manage their resources very effectively. The Nazca took advantage of the qualities of the soil for the construction of the figures, which, due to the climatic conditions, have been able to be preserved over the centuries.
The Nazcas built the figures by a process in which they stacked large rocks to mark the edges of the lines; they raised the first layer of the ground, piling the stones on the edge to create relief and exposing a much lighter layer of sand, which becomes the internal outline of the figure.
Archaeological theories have discerned about the realization of the spirals by means of a method in which a pole was adjusted to a point that would represent the center and circumferences were made around it with the help of a rope.
Functions of lines
The Nazca culture was considered a peaceful and mainly ceremonial civilization. Most of their rituals revolved around nature, and above all, water.
Due to the harsh climatic conditions, rituals and offerings to the gods requested the benefit of water during limited times of the year, which gave this resource a sacred character.
A large part of the Nazca geoglyphs were made as places of ceremony, in which the lines were crossed as prayers, offerings and even sacrifices were made.
In several of the geometric geoglyphs, remains of altars and vessels have been found that were broken by the Nazca in order to speak to their gods. Being an agricultural civilization, their offerings were based on the products they harvested.
The meteorological manifestations of 'El Niño' each year offered the Nazca a time of abundance, bringing not only water through underground channels, but also small mollusks that were considered divine gifts by the aborigines.
The population increase and the lack of water led the Nazca to start digging trenches in search of it, segmenting territories and fostering rivalries. The arduous environment was one of the main causes of the disappearance of the Nazca culture.
References
- Hall, S. (2010). Spirits in the sand. National Geographic, 2-23.
- Klokoeník, J., Vítek, F., KlokoenÍkova, Z., & R., AR (2002). The geoglyphs of Nazca, Peru. BIRA, 13-29.
- Reindel, M., Isla, J., & Lambers, K. (2006). Altars in the desert: The stone structures on the Nasca geoglyphs in Palpa. Archeology and Society, 179-222.
- Reinhard, J. (2010). The sacred mountains and the pre-Inca cultures of the Andes. In J. Reinhard, & C. Ceruti, Inca Rituals and Sacred Mountains: A Study of the World's Highest Archaeological Sites (pp. 51-71). Los Angeles: UCLA-Cotsen Institute of Archeology.
- Vasquez, MA (2014). THE LEGACY OF TORIBIO MEJÍA XESSPE. Culture, Science and Technology. ASDOPEN-UNMSM, 31-42.