5 CHAPTER ONE An aerial view of the dog geoglyph in southern Peru LINES ON THE PAMPA In 1927 Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe hiked into a high dune near his dig site to take a look at the pampa or plateau below He was working on a burial dig site in southern Peru near the ruins of the ancient city of Cahuachi As Mejia scanned the desert below he saw something strange Light-colored lines on the darker-colored desert floor stretched into the distance as straight as rulers Were
they a natural feature How could that happen If not natural how and why would people create them The mystery of the Nazca Lines began that day The Nazca Lines are geoglyphs or ground drawings The name comes from the hundreds of straight lines that crisscross the pampa between two river valleys Almost all of the geoglyphs are in an area of 310 square miles 803 sq km There are drawings of animals plants and a few human shapes Geometric figures such as rectangles trapezoids and spirals can also be seen The huge drawings are clearest when viewed from an airplane but can also be seen from hills and other high places Nazca Culture Archaeologists believe the Nazca made the geoglyphs from approximately 100 BCE to 650 CE The Nazca lived in narrow river valleys along the southern Peruvian coast on the west side of the Andes Mountains The climate was hot and dry since rain almost never fell on the desert Water came from the 6
The Nazca potters used at least 12 different colors rivers that flowed from the Andes Mountains to the Pacific Ocean The Nazca did not have a central government They lived in many small villages led by chiefs They shared a common religion and culture and are famous for the colorful and detailed pottery they produced However the Nazca Lines are the most well known creations of the Nazca The Nazca did not have a 7
