CultureDesignFEATUREDLatestSun SignsTravel

Why Did They Draw Nazca Lines? Were They Airborne!

Why Did They Draw Nazca Lines? Were They Airborne!
 © Vadim Petrakov/Shutterstock

The Nazca Lines are geoglyphs located Peru that cover an estimated 170 square miles (450 square kilometers).

The Tree

Drawn or Scratched on the ground these geoglyphs( Designs drawn on Ground). The shapes are usually made from one continuous line. Some of the Nazca lines form shapes that are best seen when airborne, though they are visible from the surrounding foothills and other high places

The largest ones are more than 350 meters long. They include animals such as the spider, hummingbird, monkey, lizard, pelican, and even a killer whale. They also show designs of plants, trees, flowers, and oddly shaped figures. Some are geometric motifs such as wavy lines, triangles, spirals, and rectangles.

Nazca Lines hummingbird
The research re-classified a previously identified hummingbird as a hermit. (Masaki Eda)

The scientists have renamed some of the drawings after research. One shape etched into the desert, hummingbird, actually depicts a hermit bird, they say. Another drawing, which was previously thought to be a guano bird, is actually a pelican, as is another long unidentified bird among the drawings.

Nazca Lines hermit bird Peru
Koepcke’s Hermit Bird
Nazca Lines astronaut
The Owl-Man

The “Nazca Astronaut,” also known as the “owl-man,” is geoglyph in human form, it is about 100 feet (30 meters) high, drawn between parallel lines on a hill. The scholar of the Nazca drawings, Maria Reiche, named the figure the “owl-man” when she published the first aerial photograph of it in her 1949 book, The Mystery of the Desert, which suggested an astronomical purpose for this and other Nazca etchings. It later became known as the “astronaut”.

Nazca Lines Map
Aerial map of Nazca

Why Did They Draw Nazca Lines? Were They Airborne!

Von Däniken a Swiss author, published the book “Chariots of the Gods?” which wrote about Nazca Lines. In this book, he proposed that the lines were built on instructions from extraterrestrial beings. In his book “Arrival of The Gods“, he added that some of the pictures depicted extraterrestrials. This idea already had made roots in the imagination of the people who first saw the lines from the air.

They are old, pretty old!

Most of the lines date from 200 BC to 500 AD, when a tribe of people called the Nazca lived in that area. The earliest designs, made with piled-up stones, date back as 500 BC.

Nazca Lines textile
Nazca Shawl 0-100 CE. This is a “double fish” (probably sharks) design

In 1927 Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe was the first to notice these patterns breaking the monotony of desert scape.

The purpose of the lines continues to be a mystery to researchers. Ancient Nazca culture was prehistoric, hence they left no written records.

owl-man Nazca Lines
Does he look like Astronaut or like Fisherman with fish ?

One conjecture is that lines are linked to the heavens with some of the designs representing constellations in the night sky. Another idea is that the patterns are sacred spaces, with one walking across them to reach a sacred place such as Cahuachi. Yet another suggests that the lines are connected with water, and may have connected to a water-based rituals.

In the lack of any archaeological evidence, a number of paranormal theories have emerged, such as that the Nazca people used balloons to make and see the lines from the air, or the UFO’s coming to Nazca people and having communication and helping them.

They seem to be a very flourishing culture

Why Did They Draw Nazca Lines? Were They Airborne!

The Nazca Zodiac

The Nazca Zodiac was first developed by South American astrologers and mystics upon reflection, over time, on the mysterious Nazca lines. 

Aries – The Dog

Friendship is the blessing of the Dog sign.

Taurus – The Hand

The power of the sky gods and elements is the gift of The Hand.

Gemini – The Tree

Knowledge of both good and evil is linked to tree symbolism, making it an illustration of duality.

Cancer – The Lizard

Immortality and shapeshifting are the special gifts brought by the graceful and elusive lizard.

Leo – The Iguana

Sacred fire comes from the Iguana. It was thought to generate lightning, hail, illumination, energy, and inspiration.

Virgo – The Spider

The Spider arrives as a link with passion and intimacy. Benevolent companions and the passage of time are honored by Spider.

Libra – The Condor

This large and high flying bird is seen as a messenger from the mountain gods. Grace, dignity and idealism are suggested here.

Scorpio – The Monkey

Familiar and friendly, the Monkey is a joker, a trickster. He is a worthy opponent and keeps us alert.

Sagittarius – The Hummingbird

The Hummingbird is representative of happiness throughout the Andes.

Capricorn – The Frigate Bird

Purity and honesty are safeguarded by Frigate, who arrives as a kind of winged angel. Frigate Bird both brings and takes away luck.

Aquarius – The Root

Honoring the growth cycle as well as stability, being rooted, and having a close link with the deep Earth are hinted at here.

Pisces – The Fish

In this desert climate, the Fish is the revered symbol of the water which renews life after a drought.