The Lines

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I am not sure when I first became aware of them, but I was drawn to mysteries as a kid. I wanted to know why the moai on Easter Island had been carved and placed high on their platforms. I wanted to understand the pyramids. Why build such hulking structures in the desert? I also wanted to figure out the Nazca Lines, those mysterious geometric and zoomorphic figures strewn in the parched landscape of southern Peru. Why create these images that can only be seen from high above the earth? How did they make them in the first place? Well, I have stood in the shadow of the moai, I have clambered about the pyramids...and now, childhood dream #3 has been checked off the list: I have flown above the Nazca plains. I have seen the weird, wonderful loops of the monkey's tail, the zooming wings of the hummingbird, the strange football-headed "astronaut," and the disembodied hands. I have seen the the lines, the squares, and the triangles. All of unimaginable size.

During the long ride from Lima, down the famous Panamerican Highway, I watched the Peruvian desert clash with the sea. Oasis towns slipped by, looking as if they had been transplanted from Jordan or Syria. We played bingo on the bus, the numbers announced by the bus attendant in both Spanish and English. And I dreamed of Nazca.

Now that I have seen the lines, I have no answers to my childhood questions. I know that Erich von Daniken's idea that they were landing strips for alien beings is silly (I knew it even when I was young and impressionable...though I WANTED to believe it...), but I am at a loss. Perhaps I always will be. But I saw them with my own eyes!

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Comments

[Ami]

lovely
James, your blog posts are so lovely, and I truly feel like I am sitting in Skewers listening to you tell me the stories in person. Miss you! Be safe. Love, Ami

[Andrew]

Did you own the Time Life book series? Neener neener? You know the ones. Great photos and great essays. Imagining you going south . . .

[sharon zonker]

Easter Islands
Have been following your S. American adventure...Your comments about Easter Island questions brought back memories of 6th grade at DMS and your research paper. I am so pleased you have traveled to many places we talked about in History class. My own grandson is now a 6th grader and I hope he will become as excited and interested in ancient civilizations. He needs a passion. I understand you'll be back teaching next week. Good luck and have a great year.