Plateau Nazca located in the south of Peru. Due to the dry climate and the lack of water and vegetation, this area is also called the Nazca desert. Plateau name is associated with
Pre-Columbian civilization,
existing in these places in the time interval of 500 g. BC . and 500 g. BC. Its fame plateau Nazca received thanks to geoglyphs - huge drawings drawn on the ground, which can be seen only from the air.
Discovery of the Nazca geoglyphs.
Mysterious drawings in the desert plateau became known back in 1553 from the Spanish priest Pedro Siesa de Leon. Traveling through the territory of the modern state of Peru, he wrote in his notes about the many lines drawn on the earth, referred to as the “Inca road” and about some signs also painted on the sand. The first to be seen from the air was the American archaeologist Paul Kosok, who flew over a vast plateau in 1939. A great contribution to the study of Nazca drawings was made by the German archaeologist Maria Reiche. In 1947, she flew over a plateau by plane photographed geoglyphs from the air.
Description of drawings on the Nazca Plateau
Geoglyphs are several tens of meters in size, and the Nazca lines extend for many kilometers and sometimes even go beyond the horizon, crossing hills and channels of dried rivers. Images are applied to the surface by soil extraction. They form furrows about 135 cm wide and 30-50 cm deep. The drawings survived to this day thanks to the dry semi-desert climate. Today we know about 30 drawings depicting geometric figures, animals, and only one depicts humanoid a creature about 30 meters high, similar to an astronaut. Among the images of animals, the most famous are the spider, hummingbird, whale, condor and monkey. The geoglyph depicting a condor is one of the largest in the desert. Its length from beak to tail is 120 meters. For comparison: the size of the spider is 46 meters, and the hummingbird is 50.
The mysteries of the Nazca desert geoglyphs
Mysterious drawings left archaeologists and historians with many questions. Who created them? How and for what purpose? Geoglyphs cannot be seen from the ground. They are visible only from the air, and there are no mountains nearby where these lines and drawings could be seen from. Another question arises that next to the drawings and lines there are no traces of ancient artists, although if a car passes over the surface, there will be traces. It is noteworthy that the monkey and the whale depicted on the geoglyphs do not live in this area.
Exploring the Nazca Plateau
Some scientists believe that geoglyphs were of ritual significance for the ancient inhabitants of the valley. Since they could only be seen from the air, only gods could see them, to which people turned with the help of drawings. Many researchers adhere to the hypothesis that the images of Nazca were created by the civilization of the same name that lived in these places in the 2nd century BC. Researcher Geoglyphs Maria Reiche believes that the drawings were first made on small sketches, and only then were applied to the surface in full size. As evidence, she provided a sketch found in these places. In addition, at the ends of the lines depicting the drawings, wooden posts were found driven into the ground. They could serve as coordinates of points when applying geoglyphs. Research results showed that images were created at different times. The intersecting and finding one on the other lines indicate that the ancient painting covered the land of the valley in several stages.
Different versions of the origin of the heglyphs
Many historians and archaeologists adhere to astronomical version of the drawings. The ancient inhabitants of the Nazca desert could be well versed in astronomy. The created gallery is a peculiar map of the starry sky. This version was held by the German archaeologist Maria Reiche. The American astronomer Phyllis Pitlugi in favor of this version is the fact that the geoglyph depicting a spider is a drawing showing the cluster of stars in the constellation Orion. However, the British researcher Gerald Hawkins is sure that only a small part of the lines and drawings of the Nazca desert are associated with astronomy. Some ufologists suggest that the drawings were a reference point for landing alien alien ships, and the Nazca plateau lines served as runways. Skeptics disagree with this version, if only because alien spacecrafts capable of overcoming dozens of light years do not need acceleration to take off. They can fly vertically into the air. Jim Woodman, who studied the Nazca plateau in the 70s of the last century, came to the conclusion that the ancient inhabitants who created these drawings could fly in a balloon. He explains this with the image of this flying object on clay statuettes, preserved from ancient times. To prove this, Woodman made a balloon out of by-products that could only be obtained in the nearest district. Hot air was supplied into the ball and it was able to fly a fairly large distance. The German archaeologist Maria Reiche mentioned above called the geometric figures and lines of the Nazca plateau an encrypted text, similar to a set of letters and signs.
There is still no consensus on the origin and purpose of mysterious geoglyphs. The Nazca Plateau remains one of the greatest secrets on our planet ...
Under the Nazca Plateau implies a plain located on a hill. This terrain has, as a rule, a flat or wavy, slightly dissected relief. From other plain spaces of Nazcaseparated by clear ledges. This natural formation is located in Peru, in its southern part, 450 km southeast of Lima, the capital of the country. However, this area is noteworthy for its unusual location, its Nazca drawings are distinguishedlocated in an area of \u200b\u200b80 kilometers. These images, or as they are also called Nazca lines, made in a bizarre form: from the outlines of animals, spiders and birds, to geometric shapes. Drawings in the Nazca desertare one of the most important puzzles for the modern research community. Dozens of figures daily struggle while aimless to answer at least some questions regarding mysterious images.
Nazca is a geoglyphic territory.
The territory of the plateau is vast and extends for many kilometers. This valley has long been considered lifeless, however, researchers were mistaken, but more on that later. Nazca coordinateswhere the geoglyphs are located: 14 ° 45 ′ south latitude and 75 ° 05 ′ west longitude. The shape of the Nazca plate is elongated. From north to south, the length reaches about fifty kilometers, from west to east from 5 to 7 kilometers. The Nazca area is practically uninhabited and is characterized by an extremely dry climate.
Winter on the vast Nazca Square lasts from June to September. All because in the Southern Hemisphere the seasons do not coincide with those in the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, the temperature in Nazca never drops below 16 degrees Celsius. In summer, the temperature is stable and keeps in the region of 25 degrees Celsius. Rains, despite the close proximity of the ocean, are a rarity for Nazca. Winds are also practically absent. There are no rivers, streams or lakes surrounded by Nazca and cannot be with such conditions. Only numerous channels of the long-dried up Nazca rivers and no less numerous dried-up canals signal the presence of water in these lands.
No less important component of this region than the Nazca Valley is the city with the corresponding name. It was founded by the Spaniards in 1591. In 1996, the city was completely destroyed by a powerful earthquake. But, fortunately, there were few casualties, as the tremors began at noon and people were prepared. In total, 17 people died during the Nazca earthquake. And about 100 thousand people were left without a roof over their heads. Today, the city of Nazca is completely rebuilt. High-rise buildings were built on its territory, and the center of Nazca is now decorated with a beautiful square.
However, this area is remarkable not by the city or the plain, but by the mysterious geoglyphs, lines and drawings, drawn, as it is believed, by skilled human hands. However, the last statement is very, very controversial. There is a popular theory regarding Nazca, according to which the lines on the plateau were not drawn by a person, but by an alien mind or some other unknown forces.
Stunning drawings in the Nazca desert.
In total, on the territory of the plateau, specialists discovered 13 thousand various lines and stripes. In science, these figures have their own name - geoglyphs (geometrical figures of bizarre shapes made in the ground and having a length of at least four meters). In our case, the drawings in the Nazca desert are shallow and long, of various widths, grooves dug in the soil, which is a mixture of sand and clay. Shallow by the standards of Nazca - this is from 15 to 30 cm. But the length of individual lines reaches several kilometers: the longest reach 10 kilometers in length. The width of the drawings in the Nazca desert is also striking: In some cases, it ranges from 150 to 200 meters.
In addition to lines on the plateau territory, all kinds of figures were found that are well known to every person in geometry - triangles and quadrangles. Some drawings in the Nazca desert are trapezoid, since they have only two sides parallel. There are about seven hundred such creations of unknown origin on the plateau. There are also figures resembling animals: monkeys, birds, killer whales, llamas and other inhabitants of the flora and fauna. Single drawings in the Nazca desert depict fish, spiders, lizards and sharks. They are few in total not more than forty.
The figures are amazing in their enormous size, but people are not able to understand their true purpose. Obviously, a clue may lurk in the bowels of the plain, which means that in order to understand who and why created the drawings in the Nazca desert, it is necessary to begin excavations. The problem is that archaeological excavations are prohibited here, since the plain has the status of a sacred zone. So the mystery of the drawings in the Nazca desert remains unsolved. And something tells us that it will remain so for a very, very long time, until the scientific community changes its mind.
Mysterious lines of Nazca.
However, no matter how sacred this land is, human curiosity has never stopped and is not going to stop. The first person suffering from a “flaw” of curiosity ended up in these forbidden lands in 1927. He was an archaeologist from Peru, Mejia Toribio Hesspe. He studied the Nazca lines from the foothills surrounding the plateau.
In the 1930th year, a mysterious piece of land where nazca lines, anthropologists studied aerial view, flying around on an airplane. They, in fact, confirmed the fact of the presence of lines in Nazca. But archaeologists got the opportunity to study such unique creations only in 1946. But this was not a focused state or research program with the appropriate funding, but separate expeditions of enthusiastic scientists.
It turned out that the Nazca lines and small trenches, our distant ancestors or alien entities, did not matter, were made by removing the surface of the clay soil layer rich in iron oxide. Gravel was almost completely removed from the Nazca line section, and under it is light colored soil. As a result, the Nazca lines became so catchy and at the same time durable.
The light soil of the local lands surrounding the paintings on the Nazca Plateau boasts a high lime content. In the open air, it hardens almost instantly and forms a durable protective layer that perfectly prevents erosion. For this reason, the mysterious lines of Nazca have been preserved in their original form for thousands of years, at least, this is the opinion of researchers. The longevity of the Nazca lines was also facilitated by the absence of winds, as such, precipitation and stable air temperature. If the climate were different, then these figures would disappear from the face of the earth long before they were discovered.
However, they are, and with their presence, have puzzled more than one generation of researchers, archaeologists and simply scientists from around the world. The official science, which has long formed its attitude towards the Nazca lines, claims that all these geoglyphs, lines and drawings were created during the Nazca civilization. This ancient empire existed, as it is assumed, from 300 BC to 800 AD already. A significant part of scientists agree that most of the drawings were created during this period, lasting 1,100 years. It is believed that the Nazca Civilization had a very developed culture, the golden age of which falls on 100-200 of our era.
The Nazca Plateau and its mystical civilization.
The civilization of Nazca sank into oblivion presumably at the end of the 8th century. The reason for this was allegedly floods, with which the Nazca plateau collided closer to the end of the first millennium. The waters flooded and destroyed the agricultural lands of the ancient people. Some people died of hunger, the rest were forced to leave the dysfunctional land. Centuries later, the Incas settled on the Nazca plateau. However, it was already a completely different, and a different culture, whose customs certainly did not include drawing giant lines on the earth.
Well, let's say the ancient people nazca plateaureally created mysterious creations on this earth, but why they were created, and most importantly, how the natives could make trenches several kilometers long on rough terrain. Even using modern methods and devices, it is extremely difficult to draw an ideal straight line along the earth, with a length of, say, 5-8 kilometers.
In accordance with the theory of scientists, all this they did for one or two. For some centuries, the Nazca Plateau has transformed from a lifeless valley into the most bizarre and richest geoglyphic territory on the whole Earth. The first settlers were crossed by ravines and hills, but at the same time their geometric lines, nazca geoglyphs, remained perfectly correct, and the edges were strictly parallel, which seems incredible. In addition to the stripes and trenches in the Nazca plateau, unknown masters also created figures of various animals. From the air they are seen, albeit whimsically, but easily recognizable. Again, how the first people in these lands managed to depict, say, hummingbirds with such accuracy is categorically unclear.
The hummingbird mentioned, by the way, like many Nazca, reaches a length of fifty meters. Another drawing bird, the condor, is 120 meters long. And the spider, similar to its relatives living in the Amazon jungle, boasts 46 meters in length. It is noteworthy that all these masterpieces of the Nazca plateau can be seen only by rising high in the air or climbing up some mountain, which, unfortunately, is not nearby. From the ground and small hills, these figures are indistinguishable and represent a simple set of lines and trenches. Of course, you can make out individual silhouettes and strokes, however, the full picture is visible only from the air.
Obviously, civilization that inhabited the Nazca plateau did not have any aircraft. Neither balloons, nor airplanes, nor even rockets in prehistoric times existed. So how could they recreate their drawings with such accuracy, not being able to evaluate the work done and discover the flaws in order to fix them ?! This remains as much a mystery as the functionality of the images of the Nazca Plateau. Why were they created? Is it really just for the sake of aesthetic beauty or maybe for some religious purposes? Question, question and another unanswered question.
It is generally difficult for a modern person to understand the logic of distant ancestors. We do not understand the people who lived a hundred years ago, where to us, until we realized the motives of those who lived thousands, two thousand years ago. Is it possible that all the lines and images of the Nazca plateau have no practical component at all? The ancient people created them to show that they are capable of this. But why spend so much effort and time on self-affirmation ?! Wouldn’t it be easier to start another war, in ancient times, it seems, this was a much more common practice ?!
Nazca drawings and related theories.
Scientists are confident that behind the creation of mysterious drawings on the plateau there is a person, no less than those who believe that nazca drawings were created by an alien race. In their opinion, all the images and lines on the plateau are nothing more than runways. The version affecting Peru, the Nazca plateau, of course, has the right to life, it remains unclear why the alien spaceships did not have vertical take-off, or why create runways in the bizarre form of terrestrial animals? If you really wanted to stand out in this way, why not make a couple of Nazca drawings in the form of fauna living in your world? However, it is better not to focus on this, because theories and speculations regarding the motives of alien creators seem even more illusory than the motivation of the first people.
It’s better to pay attention to this: Nazca drawings in the form of animals, birds and insects were created much earlier than simple triangles and other geometric shapes. This is not a confirmed fact, the theory is still under development, however, even now most of the scientists agree that this is so, the complex drawings of Nazca were created before simple images and tranches. Be that as it may, a simple conclusion suggests itself: did the unknown masters at first make more complex forms, obviously created in several stages, and only then other people began to practice drawing straight lines and trapezes. Or maybe for the long centuries required to create drawings, which are famous for the desert Nazca on the map, masters of ancient civilization have lost technology or simply forgot how to create complex images? All these are regular questions, the answers to which, most likely, we will receive very, very not soon, if ever.
At the same time, there are only a few figures in the scientific community who believe that all of Nazca's drawings were made in the same period. But what scientists agree on is the idea that some of the ancient people of Nazca had knowledge of astronomy.
For example, Maria Reiche (1903-1998), a German mathematician and archaeologist who has been studying mysterious lines for almost 50 years, once claimed that the Nazca pattern in the shape of a huge spider is very similar to a star cluster in the constellation Orion. Three straight lines lead to the figure; they supposedly served to track the declination of the three brightest stars in the Orion Belt: Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.
There is another very entertaining theory that touches the figures of Nazca. Archaeologist Johan Reinhard, an American by birth, believes that the lines and figures of animals were part of religious rites or, at least, were built for some religious needs. The figures of animals, insects and birds were allegedly associated with worship of the gods. With the help of Nazca drawings, people asked celestials for water to irrigate their lands. It is not entirely clear how exactly this ceremony took place, but it doesn’t matter, where was it even more important? It is obvious that the ancient people were novices of the pagan faith and, as in any such religion, the cult of the gods occupies a central place not only in religion, but also in the everyday life of people. It is likely that Nazca did indeed carry out certain rituals of worshiping its deities, but it is almost impossible to prove it.
Today, the attention of researchers from around the world is not focused on Nazca's drawings or even on the riddles surrounding them. While people guess and guess, a serious environmental threat looms over the plateau. Deforestation, pollution of the surrounding atmosphere change the balanced and almost unchanged climate of the plains for the worse. The Nazca slab is faced with problems: it rains more and more often, landslides and other misfortunes arise, one way or another affecting the integrity of images. This is a very serious threat and if nothing is done in the next 5-10 years, or maybe less, Nazca’s drawings will be lost forever, and then there is no doubt that the answers to the questions posed by the research community will never be received. We certainly will not know who and why created this miraculous and unique phenomenon without exaggeration.
Nazca drawings. South America, Peru
What is the Nazca Line, no one knows for sure. The only indisputable fact is that they are located in South America, in Peru, on the Nazca plateau in the southern part of the country. In 1994, they were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The indisputable facts end there, leaving scientists with many unsolved riddles.
The lines are giant geometric and curly geoglyphs (patterns) scattered across the plateau. They are applied to the surface in the form of furrows up to 135 centimeters wide and up to 40-50 centimeters deep. It is impossible to understand that this is just a solid drawing, while on the ground: "the big is seen in the distance." That is why the Nazca Lines were opened only in 1939, when flights became possible.
Nazca drawings, spider
And since then, not one scientist has been trying for years to answer the questions: “Who?” and for what?". Most researchers are inclined to the version that the Nazca civilization, which inhabited the plateau before the 2nd century BC, left patterns long before the Incas. n e. But for what purpose? With equal success, it can be either the largest astronomical calendar in the world (although scientists have not yet discovered how to use it), or signals for landing alien spaceships.
The subjects of the Nazca Lines are the most diverse: flowers, geometric shapes, animals, birds, and even insects. The smallest image is a 46-meter spider, the largest is a 285-meter pelican ...
At the end of 2011, two of our colleagues left for South America - the photographer Dmitry Moiseenko and the pilot of the radio-controlled helicopter Stas Sedov. They had a task: to take pictures in the deserts of Nazca and Palpa in Peru, the ancient city of Inca civilization Machu Picchu and stone idols on Easter Island. Now we bring to your attention shooting from Nazca.
Chasing Hummingbirds
On the first day of shooting, we were faced with the fact that the desert is not only not allowed to enter by car, but also to enter on foot. We talked with police and ministers at the observation towers - the passage is allowed through special passes from the local Ministry of Culture, which issues them only to archaeological groups. Some time ago, the entrance and entry into the desert were free, which led to the fact that a large number of figures almost died under the wheels of SUVs.
Nazca drawings, parrot and astronaut
For tourists, the local authorities put several towers with observation platforms: one of those that we found , It is located directly on the Pan American Highway near Nazca, the other is 30 kilometers away towards Palpa. Visible to tourists from these towers, frankly, not very much. It is much better to look at the figures from small planes that fly over the desert from the local airport.
View from the tourist observation tower
The second day in Nazca did not ask from the very beginning. In the morning we planned to go to a distant point near Palpa and try to approach the figures through the desert. The previous day, there was no one on the observation deck: neither tourists nor a watchman. It is logical to assume that at 6 in the morning there should also be no one there. Naive ...
We left at dawn, and now we are standing on the lookout. But what a bad luck! A couple of minutes ago it was clear on the horizon, and now a police jeep appeared on the road 400 meters from us. That's it, shooting becomes almost impossible, since from the site where tourists can be, to the figures themselves - about 200-300 meters. You can fly, but to remove something qualitatively is unlikely to succeed.
After a couple of minutes of thought, they decided to try to fly. They shot a couple of trial spheres, landed and realized that luck is not with us today: all the figures came out very small and very distant. Well, we decided to try to negotiate with the police. We drive to a jeep and see a sleeping patrol. They did not wake the alert policeman, but quickly rushed back to the observation deck. Then everything happened, as in films about scouts.
Loaded with equipment and almost plastunsko moved to the figures through the desert. Somewhere in the middle of the journey, Dima out of the corner of his eye noticed that the policeman was no longer sleeping, but got out of the car and was watching us. Looks like they noticed us! What to do? To run? We acted illogically - we decided to start shooting right in front of the police. They took off, shot several spheres, all the while glancing at the policeman. No reaction followed. Maybe we still did not notice? Using the hollows, we got closer to the figures. The terrain helped hide from a police patrol.
We began to fly quite actively, all the while waiting for formidable shouts from behind. About half an hour later I climbed from the next ravine to the plateau level and found a completely empty road - the police jeep left. Probably, he still did not notice us - he was lucky! After that, they worked almost right up to the figures. Almost the entire supply of batteries for the helicopter flew off, leaving a couple of pieces for lifting at the observation deck near Nazca.
Tired, but very satisfied, wandered to his car. Dima finally decided to shoot a few frames with his telephoto, and at the time of changing lenses he left the keys inside the cabin.
I must say that the criminal situation in Peru is not very good, and therefore the car’s alarm system is designed so that if you do not start the engine after disarming the car, the doors will be blocked after a couple of minutes. If you start the engine - the doors are locked immediately.
As you might have guessed, while Dima was making the final shots, the car was closed with the keys inside.
So, we are in the desert, about an hour's walk from the nearest village, and not a soul around. Tools and water are inside the machine. In our hands only a helicopter and a camera with a large lens. They tried to squeeze the glass with their hands - it is useless. After several attempts, I suggested that Dima beat the glass of the back door. You can watch Dima’s dramatic torment on the video: to beat or not to beat - that’s the question!
I quickly imagined how the police found our dried corpses next to the whole machine, and persistently asked Dima to finally solve the problem. And Dima decided it! After a little thought, he proposed to break not the glass, but the small rear window and try to get the keys through it. A few minutes later, having searched the surroundings and found several pieces of steel wire (having dismantled the roof of the local “museum”, similar to an ordinary bus stop), we made an impromptu fishing rod, with which Dima fished out our keys through the broken glass on the first attempt. Saved!
On the way to Nazca, the second time we shot the Tree and Hands, and also tried to remove the Lizard. The caretakers learned the coordinates of the local Ministry of Culture and decided to try to get official permission to pass through the desert.
During the morning visit to the Minister-Archaeologist, he was not in place. The secretary gestured (almost nobody speaks English there) explained to us that we should stop by after dinner.
What to do? Dima suggested flying over the desert in a small plane. He planned to shoot figures that could not be reached on foot, and I had to shoot a video of the process and, most importantly, find the passages between the police cordons to some of the famous figures.
Nazca drawings, monkey
Flight. No, not like that: it was FLIGHT !!! I've already flown a lot, but so much adrenaline wasn’t even on a motor hang glider. I will omit the details of how we traded at the airport and how we were later tried to stab us on almost every point of the agreements.
So, we are on the executive start. After the pilot began to force the engine, adjusting the fuel mixture, I realized: "entertainment" is not a weak one for us. And precisely, when they began to taxi, instead of getting up at the beginning of the strip, the pilot taxied to the primer, beyond its limits, taking out another ten meters for acceleration. Wildly roared engine , and our "Tsesna" rushed along the runway, gaining speed very quickly. The gap! But instead of a sharp rise, we began to gain height literally by a meter per second - it was not the most pleasant moment.
What is the difficulty of flying over Nazca? It’s hot in the afternoon, air density is low, and strong winds blow. We often noticed tornadoes of various sizes in the desert. I shot one of these tornadoes during a take-off.
In a few minutes we are already over the desert. We climbed 600 meters. Here is the first figure - Keith. If the co-pilot (girl) hadn’t shown her hand, I wouldn’t have noticed him. Expecting to see large figures, the head does not immediately switch to the true size, and because of this, they practically cannot be seen. Lines and trapezoids, on the contrary, are visible very well.
Nazca drawings, whale
Flying up to the next figure, the pilots laid a very steep turn, and we did a few laps with some incredible rolls. At the same time, the aircraft often threw gusts of wind. The feeling of a roller coaster is only stronger several times. I was amazed at how Dima quite calmly hung from his open window with his telephoto and shot, shot, shot ... At the same time, he still managed to quite accurately drive the figures into the frame.
Nazca drawings, bird of paradise
There was confidence that along one of the country roads we could get close to the Hummingbird figure. During the flight, Dima wrote a track with GPS coordinates, on which we hoped to quickly find it. 50 minutes of flight time passed unnoticed, during which time my face changed color several times: from earthy gray to green. We landed at the airport and the exhausted fell out of the plane.
We went to the ministry again. The archaeologist, in my opinion, did not appear in the office, and his secretary, with a sigh, announced to us - "maniac", which meant: come in tomorrow. We decided, after a short rest at the hotel, to go in search of a hummingbird.
This figure is a little off the track. They decided to call into the desert in the evening, when tourist planes should already finish their flights. In addition to the pilots, there was practically no one to notice us - during the flight I did not see any traffic on country roads.
The beginning of the path to the mountains was not very difficult: a well-rolled primer. Unfortunately, from the air I did not manage to detect characteristic landmarks on the Hummingbird beam, so Dima and I had a rather emotional debate about which way to go and where to throw the car. Dima showed me his track recorded during the flight and pointed with his finger in the completely opposite (in my opinion) direction from the figure. Relying on visual memory and insisting on my choice of direction, miraculously (and in different words) I managed to convince Dima.
According to our assumptions, only 15-20 minutes of light time remained. This is pretty darn little, especially considering that we didn't know exactly where to go.
They climbed the mountain, in the direction of the desert. We got in. Despair seized me from what I saw: it was not a plateau, but just one of the spurs on the way to it. We had to go down a rather steep slope, consisting of a mixture of sand and stones, 70 meters down, cross a small gorge and climb again, already 100 meters. Let's not have time! But having pulled ourselves together, we quickly ran down the slope, tearing along heaps of stones ...
I vaguely remember how we crawled uphill. Somewhere in the middle of the climb, my strength ran out. Running in the mountains with a 15-pound backpack, equipment on the neck and a helicopter in hand is not an easy task. Dima took out a camera and shot a short video.
Another 5 minutes of climbing - and we are on a plateau.
Get in! And where is the figure? We watched the track: it seems like we are standing somewhere nearby, but nothing is visible on the ground. Found some lines similar to the tail of a hummingbird. Take off, take off. After landing, Dima rushes to the camera - no, this is not a Hummingbird. In the frame of some strange "sun" and a huge landing strip for alien ships.
We go further through the desert. The sun begins to fall rather quickly towards the horizon. Only a few minutes of light time remain. We stumble upon some regular one, either a trapezoid, or a line. And Dima says: "The area is called - Nazca Lines, since we did not find the Hummingbird, let's remove the lines."
I take off, pretty high. We remove the sphere. And then Dima asks me to simply scroll the device around the axis, without shooting. I usually don’t do it - there’s not much flight time, but this time for some reason I didn’t refuse. I do not know why. The wind on the plateau was quite strong, visibility was not very good, but I turned the helicopter and then Dima shouted directly into my ear: “HUMIDITY !!! Take off !!!”
Nazca drawings, hummingbirds
It turned out that we were standing next to this figure (more precisely, the figure: the bird is very small), not noticing it at all. Moreover, if you come close to it - it is very clearly visible on the ground.
Nature rewarded us with a completely fantastic sunset. This was not the case in previous days: clouds in pink, the moon giving its silver tint - we almost forgot why we came ...
Recollecting himself, made several sorties next to the Hummingbird, while the sun went below the horizon. It is difficult to convey in words those strange sensations that we experienced on a plateau. Apparently, those who chose the location of this "bird" knew something inaccessible to our understanding. Or maybe we were simply overwhelmed with positive emotions, from the feeling of a successful mission ...
While I was assembling the equipment, Dima, in a very excited state, rushed around the Hummingbird, trying to shoot video and ground shots in almost complete darkness.
One thought drilled me on the way to the car - you need to always fight, even when it seems that everything is already lost, that they did not have time, they did not find ...
Good luck loves persevering!
In the Peruvian desert, about 300 km south of Lima, between the Inca and Nazca valleys, there is a plain. On it, on a site with a length of 60 km and a width of 1.5 km, you can see completely straight lines, many of which are parallel to each other, while others intersect, forming grandiose geometric shapes. Trapezoidal zones, strange symbols and images of birds and animals, made on a gigantic scale, are visible inside and around them. They can only be seen from a height.
The drawings on the Nazca plateau (photos are placed further in the article) are divided into two categories: biomorphs and geoglyphs. The former comprise about 70 animals and plants, including a spider, hummingbird, monkey, and pelican 300 m long. Biomorphs are grouped on the same stretch of the plain. Some archaeologists believe that they were created in 200 BC. e. (approximately 500 years before geoglyphs). On the plain there are about 800 lines and 300 geometric shapes (including triangles, spirals, circles and trapezoids). Their sizes are quite impressive. The longest straight line stretches for 15 km.
The coordinates of the Nazca plateau are 14 ° 43′00 ″ south latitude and 75 ° 08′00 ″ west longitude.
Discovery and meaning
Drawings of the Nazca Plateau in Peru were discovered by the local archaeologist Toribio Medgia Hessep in 1927 while climbing the surrounding foothills. Since they are difficult to see from the surface of the earth, practically nothing was known about them until the 1930s, when aerial exploration of water sources was carried out here. The plain, intersected by gigantic lines with many formed rectangles, bears a striking resemblance to a modern airport.
Swiss writer Erich von Daniken even suggested that they were built for the convenience of landing ships of ancient space aliens. But no matter how seductive this theory is, the Nazca plateau is covered with loose rocky soil, which is not suitable for landing either an airplane or a flying saucer.
Astronomical Observatory?
So how did these mysterious lines appear? The American explorer Paul Kosok, who made his first visit to the Nazca Plateau in the 1940s, suggested that they had an astronomical purpose and that the plain acted as a giant observatory. He called them "the largest astronomical book in the world." Gerald Hawkins, an American astronomer, tested this theory in 1968 by placing the position of objects on a plateau in a computer and calculating how many of them coincide with important astronomical events. The scientist showed that the number of lines that have astronomical significance roughly corresponds to random coincidence. For this reason, this assumption is also unlikely.
Kosk was followed by German Maria Reiche, who studied glyphs for 40 years and persistently defended her theories about their astronomical and calendar purpose. She struggled alone to preserve the Nazca Plateau and even lived in a small house near the desert to personally protect the images from reckless visitors.
Objects of worship?
One of the best theories explaining the secrets of drawings on the Nazca Plateau belongs to the English explorer Tony Morrison. Studying the old folk customs of the Andes, he discovered the tradition of holding a procession to places connected by straight paths. Believers go from one place to another, praying and meditating. Often these are just small piles of stones. Morrison suggested that the Nazca plateau lines are similar in purpose, but have a wider scale. Symbols may also have served as special venues for religious ceremonies.
The creation of geoglyphs required the efforts of the entire community for many centuries, which indicates the high importance of the plateau. Like the pyramids, giant statues and other monumental art, Nazca's drawings speak of permanence. They declare: we are here and we are not moving. These are not nomads, not hunters, and not gatherers. This is an agricultural society. Of course, pre-scientific, which turned to magic and superstitions (i.e. religion) for help in growing crops. The people of Nazca culture had knowledge of irrigation, planting, harvesting and distribution. But the weather was changeable. Everything could go smoothly for many years or even centuries, and then for one generation entire communities were forced to leave the country due to prolonged drought, floods, tides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, fires or something else.
Was the plateau a place of worship? Was it Mecca of Nazca, a place of pilgrimage? Were the images part of the rituals aimed at appeasing the gods, or a request for fertility, weather, or water sources? The fact that the figures cannot be seen from the earth, but only from the sky, may not have been of great importance for religious or magical purposes. In any case, the images on the Nazca plateau adorn ceramics found in neighboring burials, and from the cemeteries it can be seen that the Indians were preoccupied with death. Mummified remains are scattered throughout the desert. Was this the place of rituals whose purpose was the immortality of the dead? We don’t know, but if this mystery is ever clarified, it will be done by serious scientists, not pseudoscientific speculators, who manipulate the data to fit their extraterrestrial fabrications.
Who did this?
The Nazca Indians were an ancient prehistoric culture that successfully used engineering techniques to bring groundwater to the surface to irrigate crops. Some of the theories about the goals of geoglyphs relate them to the need for water. One of the largest settlements, Kahuachi, is a venue for ceremonies that goes to some of the lines. It contains more than 40 mounds, including pyramids made of clay.
Line construction
How were they built? The lines, apparently, were formed due to the fact that a 10-30 cm layer of a reddish, coated with pebble iron oxide, under which there is white sand, was removed from the desert surface. In other climatic conditions, wind, rain and erosion would have erased the traces of the drawings within a few years. However, on the Nazca plateau, the lines remained, because it is a calm, dry and isolated place.
Ancient balloonists?
The writer Jim Woodman believes that lines and figures could not be made without directing work from the air, since nothing can be seen from ground level. In his opinion, it is impossible to see the result from nowhere, except from above. The writer does not believe that the titanic efforts of builders could be realized without a real opportunity to see the fruits of their labor. Woodman suggested that ancient balloons were used to inspect the work site. To prove his hypothesis, he built an aircraft from materials that could be accessible to the people of Nazca culture. The writer made a successful flight, which lasted only 2 minutes. However, most researchers are skeptical of Woodman's conclusions, since there is no evidence among archaeological finds in the form of any designs or evidence of ballooning.
How were geoglyphs made?
It is more likely that the people of Nazca culture used simple methods. Straight lines can be easily laid over long distances with simple tools. Two wooden poles at the ends of the segment are enough to guide the third. One person, in line with the first two poles, can instruct the second on where to place the third. This can be repeated as many times as necessary in order to draw an almost perfect straight line of many kilometers in length. Proof of the use of this particular method is the remains of the poles found at the ends of some lines.
Images on the Nazca Plateau were probably created by dividing a small sketch of the figure into squares, followed by their transfer to full scale. The desert surface was marked with a grid, and then work was carried out in each individual square in turn.
Connection with water?
Recently, researchers David Johnson and Steve Maby have put forward the theory that geoglyphs can be associated with water. The Nazca Plateau is one of the driest places on Earth - on average 4 mm of precipitation falls annually. Johnson, studying the sources of water in the region, noted that the ancient Pukios aqueducts are associated with some lines. He suggested that the figures are a giant map of underground water sources. Maby is working on collecting evidence that could support this theory.
A study of satellite images of the Nazca Plateau allowed scientists at the National Science Council in Rome to suggest that they had a good hypothesis of the origin of mysterious lines, also associated with the most precious resource in the desert. According to them, the Indians knew how to use underground sources of water for irrigation and build aqueducts for farming, thus turning the desert into a garden. A satellite photograph of the Nazca plateau was used to study unusual structures found near the lines - spiral grooves called "pukios". This allowed scientists to look below the surface of the earth, identify the underground channels connecting these objects, and understand that they are part of an extensive ancient system of aqueducts. According to them, water flowed into the region where the Nazca Indians lived and were engaged in agriculture. Partly, the pressure was created due to the spiral depressions, which during the wind sent air currents into the underground channels. This does not contradict the fact that the drawings are considered ceremonial and associated with water. Since nearby structures are part of a complex water supply system, ritual images could indicate the location of the source and express gratitude for it. According to researchers, pukios and geoglyphs of the Nazca plateau have one purpose, since water was required for survival in the desert. And the images were thanks to the gods for this.
Some are still not satisfied with this explanation of the mystery of the Nazca Plateau and consider the drawings to be messages sent to the ancient aliens, or suggest that the Indians invent balloons to review their work. But these theories try to explain the ancient mystery from a modern point of view. If you evaluate the drawings only by the fact that they are visible from above, then everything ends with attempts to find out how this was possible. But if you understand the attitude of the figures on the Nazca plateau to the sources of water, the geoglyphs begin to seem not so impossible.
Other scholars are more skeptical, but admit that in a region where the search for water is vital for survival, there may well be some connection between the ceremonial purpose of the lines and water. Johan Reinhard, an anthropologist at the National Geographic Society, discovered that Bolivian residents make religious processions from one place to another along straight paths, praying and dancing in the rain. Something similar could have happened with the ancient drawings of Nazca.
Human sacrifice
Recently found headless remains suggest that the people of Nazca performed human sacrifices during religious ceremonies. According to a researcher from Texas State University, decapitation was part of the rituals, the purpose of which was to eliminate fears and call ancestors to ensure fertility and preservation of the genus. Cutting off the head of La Tiza, apparently, was part of the ritual associated with ensuring a good harvest and the continuation of the life of the community. The found remains are one of 8 decapitated bodies found in the Nazca plateau region. A ceramic vessel depicting a head was found next to the remains. In the figure, a tree grows from the head, on which, in turn, the eyes grow. This, apparently, indicates that the sacrifice was part of the fertility ceremony.
What happened to the heads of the victims? It is known that the Indians of the Nazca culture collected “trophy heads”. They removed the brain and soft tissue from the skulls, stitched their lips with cactus needles, and drilled a hole in their forehead to make a loop of woven rope. Then the heads were hung on ropes for viewing. Initially, they were considered war trophies taken from distant tribes, but DNA analysis showed that the heads were cut off from representatives of the Nazca culture, presumably for religious reasons.
Other South American lines and shapes
Satellite imagery on the Nazca Plateau is not the only geoglyphs in South America. 1400 km south is the largest human figure in the world, laid out on the slope of the Solitary Mountain in Chile. The giant Atacama is 120 m high and is surrounded by lines resembling Nazca geoglyphs. A figure resembling a giant candelabrum is carved along the Pacific coast in the foothills of the Andes. Further to the south of Sierra Pintada (in Spanish - “colored mountain”) is covered with extensive paintings, including spirals, circles, warriors and condors. Archaeologists believe that these images, clearly visible from the earth, served as guidelines for the Inca merchants.
The Nazca desert is located in southern Peru, 450 kilometers from Lima. This is the region where the Nazi civilization of Nazca (I-VI centuries AD) lives.
The people of Nazca waged wars and engaged in trade, but the main activity for them was fishing and farming. In addition, Nazca were wonderful artists and architects - we can judge this by the found ceramic products of this culture and the ruins of ancient cities. A lot of evidence has survived of the high level of development of this civilization, the main of which, of course, are the Nazca Lines - huge geoglyphs in the desert, visible only from a bird's eye view.
What to see
Nazca lines
Giant drawings in the desert depicting animals and various objects - Nazca Lines - were discovered in 1926. Researchers suggest that geoglyphs were created in 300-800 by the Nazca civilization. They were called the “largest calendar in the world”, “the most gigantic book on astronomy” - their exact purpose remains unknown.
The area on which the Nazca Lines are located occupies 500 km2 and is located in the desert, where it rains only half an hour a year. It is this fact that allowed the geoglyphs to survive to this day.
These drawings were first described in 1548, but for many years no one paid serious attention to them. Perhaps this was due to the fact that they can be well examined only from a height, and they began to fly on planes over the desert much later. In the early 1940s, during the construction of the Pan American Highway, an American professor invited to study coastal hydrology regularly flew over small valleys over the valleys. It was he who drew attention to the strange lines that develop into huge drawings. The sight that opened shocked and amazed him. Professor Kosok and other scientists have devoted many years to the study of these lines. They were able to find the connection between the location of the lines with the sun on the days of the summer and winter solstices, as well as indications of the moon, planets and bright constellations. It seemed that the Nazca civilization had set up a giant observatory here.
The technique for creating geoglyphs was very simple: the upper darkened layer was cut off from the soil and folded here along the formed light strip, creating a darker roller framing the lines. Over time, the color of the lines darkened and became less contrasting, but we can still see the drawings left by the Nazca civilization.
How to watch
There are several companies in Nazca that make sightseeing flights on small airplanes over the desert. This, because due to the number of people who want to inspect the Place Lines for the right date at the last moment, there may not be any.
An alternative way to see the lines is to climb to the observation deck on the Panamerican highway (El Mirador). The cost of lifting 2 salt (20 rubles), but you can see only 2 drawings.
Palpa Lines
Unlike Nazca drawings, Palpa Lines consist more of human images and geometric patterns. According to archaeological research, the Palpa Lines are from an earlier period than the Nazca Lines. When flying through Lines of Palpa, you can see the image of Pelican, the image of a woman, a man and a boy, whom archaeologists nicknamed "Family". One of the Palpa Lines is an image of a Hummingbird - similar to one of the Nazca Lines geoglyphs. Another Line is read by archaeologists as an image of a Dog near the Square. Near the town of Palpa you can see the famous image of the Sundial and Tumi - a ritual knife.
Cahuachi Ruins
The most important and powerful city of the Nazca civilization was Cahuachi, a city in the Nazca Valley, 24 km from the modern city of Nazca. Excavations are still underway here. To date, the city has left:
- The Central Pyramid is 28 meters high and 100 meters wide, consisting of 7 steps. Religious ceremonies were held here.
- Step Temple 5 meters high and 25 meters wide
- 40 buildings made of adobe (unfired brick)
Near the city there was a necropolis, in which scientists found intact burials with various objects that were usually put in graves (dishes, fabrics, jewelry, etc.). All finds can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Antonini (Museo Arqueológico Antonini) in Nazca.
Necropolis of Chauchilla (El cementerio de Chauchilla)
The Chauchilla Necropolis is 30 km from the city of Nazca. This is the only place in Peru where you can see the mummies of ancient civilization directly in the graves where they were found. This cemetery was used from the 3rd to the 9th centuries AD, but the main burials date back to 600-700 years. Mummies are well preserved due to the arid desert climate, as well as the embalming technology that Nazca used: the bodies of dead people were wrapped in cotton fabric painted with paints and saturated with resins. It was the resins that helped to avoid the decomposing effect of bacteria.
The necropolis was discovered in 1920, but officially recognized as an archaeological site and was taken under protection only in 1997. Before that, he had suffered for many years from looters who had stolen a large part of Nazca’s treasures.
2-hour guided tour - 30 Soleil
Entrance ticket to the Necropolis - 5 Soleil
San Fernando Sanctuary (Bahía de San Fernando)
About 80 km from Nazca there is a nature reserve very similar to Paracas. Here you can also see penguins, sea lions, dolphins, various birds. And besides, andean fox, guanaco and condor are found in San Fernando.
It is difficult to get here and there are almost no tourists. In San Fernando you can spend time alone with nature and the Pacific Ocean!
Aqueducts of Cantayoc
Nazca was a very advanced civilization. In the desert, where the river is filled with water for only 40 days a year, the Nazca farmers needed a system that allowed them to have water throughout the year. They solved this problem by creating an excellent aqueduct system. Some of them - the Cantayoc Aqueducts (Cantayoc) are located less than 5 km from the city of Nazca and are a chain of spiral wells.
When to go
Nazca is in the desert, where it is almost always dry and sunny. From December to March, the hottest time in this region is, the average daily temperature is around 27C. From June to September - the coldest months of the year, when the daytime temperature is only 18C.
How to get to Nazca
Nazca is located 450 kilometers south of Lima. You can get here on your own by car along the Panamerican highway, or one of the many buses that go in this direction. Bus ride takes 7 hours.