Peru’s Nazca Lines – Enigmas of the Archaeological World

From ‘lost cities’ to pyramids dedicated to the sun, Peru boasts many famous sites that are shrouded in mystery. Among the most puzzling, the Nazca Lines are an enigma of the archaeological world, and their purpose has been hotly debated for decades.  

A hummingbird with a long, slender beak, a monkey with a curling tail and a spider with eight outstretched legs are drawn into the desert of southern Peru. They’re among the best-known Nazca Lines, a collection of figures and geometric designs that took shape over centuries. Archaeologists can explain how they were made, and they’re still piecing together what the different designs meant to the people who made them.

Archaeologist’s discovery

Said to have been discovered by Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe, who spotted them whilst out hiking in 1927, they really came to light in the 1930s when they were seen from the air as aircraft flew overhead. The drawings are so huge that it’s hard to see them fully from the ground. Aerial photography later made it easier to trace the outlines of the largest figures. In a study published in 2024, researchers used AI to flag possible designs in aerial images, then checked the sites on the ground. The survey documented 303 previously unrecorded figures, many near ancient footpaths.   

Huge desert geoglyphs

A geoglyph is a design made on the ground. The huge Nazca geoglyphs, some as big as a football field, are thought to have been etched into the desert between 200 BC and 600 AD. Each one consists of a number of conjoining straight or curved lines which form either some sort of figure or a geometric shape. They cover an area of roughly 37 miles in length.

To make many of these designs, their creators cleared away dark, weathered stones to expose the paler ground beneath. The lack of rain helped preserve the contrast. UNESCO added the Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa to the World Heritage List in 1994.

The civilisation behind the lines

Some of the earliest designs are linked to the Paracas culture. The Nasca people continued the tradition and made many of the large figures we recognise today. They lived in the narrow river valleys of Peru’s southern coast, where irrigation helped them grow maize, beans and squash in an otherwise dry landscape.

Nasca potters painted birds, plants and mythical figures on brightly coloured vessels. Some bottles had two spouts joined by a bridge-shaped handle. Archaeologists compare motifs on pottery with those on the desert floor and study fragments found near the lines to work out when some of the designs were made or used.

Why were the Nazca Lines made?

Some of the largest figures lie along a network of lines and broad geometric shapes that may have formed part of pilgrimage routes to Cahuachi, a major Nasca ceremonial centre. Smaller figures sit close to ancient footpaths, where people could have seen them as they walked. Their positions suggest that different designs may have served different purposes.

Researchers have also explored links with water, crop fertility and the movement of the sun and stars.

Theories about the Nazca Lines range from reasonable scientific hypotheses to some quite bizarre suggestions. Here’s some of the most popular:

• They are an astronomical observatory, as many of the lines point to constellations and can be tied to solstices and equinoxes.

• They map underground water, a vital yet scarce resource for the desert-dwelling Nazca tribes.

• The lines marked areas for rituals and sacrifices.

• Each figure could be a marking for a different clan.

• As they can only be seen clearly from the sky, they are thought to be messages to the gods.

• They are UFO landing strips.

If you choose a holiday to Peru, maybe you’ll see the Nazca Lines for yourself and come up with your own theory as to why these UNESCO-listed works of art were created. Even if you’re left with no idea, they are a remarkable sight nonetheless.