The
Nazca culture
(200 - 600 A.D..) is famous mainly
for its long
desert lines,
kilometers of straight lines or beautiful animal figures, perceptible only(?) from above.
Up to this day the meaning of these lines is only little understood.
Flights over the lines have been done so far only with machine support.
There are however some thermal looking hills near by.
Alternative: Cerro Blanco, a 1000 m high sand dune directly out of town.
The Nazca lines from far far above. Both the green
fruitful valley of the dry Río Ingenio (the water flows underground)
and some surrounding potential flight mountains are well recognizable. The straight line that passes below the big mountain from the
right side to the green river valley is the Panamericana. Some of the weaker straight lines are old Nazca lines, the stronger ones are
driveways.
Estimated size of the satellite photograph 30x40 km.
In high resolution (file size 1 MB)
the lines can be seen in much more detail, but still the animal figures are not recognizable in the amplification.
(Original NASA: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=5103)
One Nazca line from ant perspective. Just a 30-40 cm wide path, freed from stones, centuries old.
This is how it would have looked like, if I would have flown: The little ape, first of all rediscovered animal figures of this region. Recognized and restored by Maria Reiche herself.
The resting place of the great protector of the lines. Amidst flowers and green of the Ingenio valley.
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