| Nazca Lines are drawings on the ground often | | | | Däniken stated in his publication 'Chariots of the |
| referred to as 'geoglyphs' which are positioned in the | | | | Gods' the lines were constructed by ancient space |
| Nazca Desert, a high waterless plateau that spreads | | | | travellers as a landing field. He recognises the pictures |
| across hundreds of miles amidst the towns of Nazca | | | | as "signals" and the longer lines as "landing strips. |
| and Palpa on the pampa, a huge flat region of | | | | The majority opinion of archeologists, and scientists, |
| southern Peru. They were originally detected by | | | | however, is the Nazca Lines were produced by the |
| chance during an airplane in flight in 1927. There are | | | | Nazca people themselves, lacking help from |
| hundreds of distinctive figures, ranging in intricacy from | | | | extraterrestrial visitors or aerial views and are |
| modest lines to stylised lizards, giant spiders, fish, orcas, | | | | conceived to be ritual pathways, designed to be |
| and the now infamous hummingbird and even llamas in | | | | walked upon and to lead processions to places where |
| the Nasca lines. | | | | worships for more water would be most productive. It |
| These important Nazca markings were formulated in | | | | is practically certain that the Nazca Lines had a spiritual |
| the period of the Nazca Indians, who thrived in the | | | | purpose, considering that other artefacts of the Nazca |
| region from 200 BC to about 600. The lines were | | | | civilization indicate a preoccupation with death and |
| made by removing the red-brown iron oxide covered | | | | additional major monuments of the ancient world are |
| stones which cover the terrain of the Nazca desert. | | | | known to be ritual in nature and no credible realistic |
| When the gravel is taken away, the lines contrast | | | | resolution has nevertheless yet been unearthed. |
| severely with the light coloured earth underneath. The | | | | The most troubling of issues in relation to the lines is of |
| total expanse encompassing the lines is almost 190 | | | | course the location of the creations in relation to the |
| square miles, with the greatest illustrations measuring | | | | individuals whom constructed them. Clearly, the |
| 886 feet. The Nazca desert is one of the driest on the | | | | creators would not have been in a position to view the |
| Planet with only a few millimetres of rainfall in a five | | | | huge drawings from the flat arid terrain and yet |
| year period and maintains a temperature close to | | | | produced some stunning drawings accurately and |
| 25°C (77°F) all year round, and the absence | | | | without assistance from geometrical tools. One |
| of any discernable wind has assisted in the | | | | individual has contested that the Nascans managed to |
| preservation of the lines to the present day. | | | | construct a make shift hot air balloon and using |
| Since their discovery, the Nazca Lines have inspired | | | | materials available at the time managed to build such |
| sensational interpretations from ancient gods, an | | | | an vehicle sufficient to carry himself high above the |
| approach strip for returning aliens, and a heavenly | | | | drawings. This demonstrated that perhaps these |
| calendar invented by the ancient Nazca culture. It is | | | | mystical drawings were indeed meant to viewed from |
| thought the formation of the lines ranges from | | | | above. |
| somewhere between 200 BC and 600 AD. | | | | The final piece of the puzzle in terms of the potential |
| Nazca Lines Peru | | | | UFO connection with the lines of Nazca are the |
| Maria Reiche was a German mathematician and | | | | presence of what appears to be a 'spaceman' etched |
| archaeologist who was well known for examining the | | | | into the surface of a nearby mountain. The figure does |
| Nazca Lines. She conceived the lines were an | | | | indeed appear to be wearing some form of space suit |
| Astronomical Calendar revealing the bearing of the | | | | and helmet and if taken in combination with the |
| rising stars and planetary occurrences the likes of sun | | | | enormous 'landing strip', a huge line which appears to |
| solstices. One hypothesis of the objective of the lines | | | | have been cleared to allow an object from the air to |
| is that the Nazca people's motives were religious, and | | | | land you would be forgiven for considering that these |
| that the pictures were made so that gods in the | | | | lines are in fact effectively 'sign posts' to the travellers |
| heavens could view them. Swiss writer Erich von | | | | from the skies.... |