NASCA: Drawing the Line in the Sand

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For some strange reason, the ´Nascans´(long past) decided to spend their time scribing lines in the sand - lines representing animals, and just straight lines going back and forth. The harsh and windy desert environment - by good luck or good design, managed to preserve their efforts. Rather interestingly, from ground level, you can´t see much. So when the more recent, but equally unusual phenomenon of air travel came around, pilots noticed something a bit odd.

Unfortunately, by this time, the new Panamerican Highway had just gone through, and a few desert joy riders had ripped in and done some damage also. But there was still a vast supply of perplexing patterns to keep some very bright minds thoroughly occupied for their careers trying to figure out what it all meant.

So to get a take on the lines, and the theories behind them, the local planetarium had an excellent show on lines, astronomy, and theories - and it became very apparent that all these ideas were ´best guesses´... no-one really has the answers.

But the lines are not the only historical interest in this most unlikely area for human habitation. An ancient burial site, blessed with 25 mins of rain per year, and the careful preparation of the sites by their authors, provided some fascinating (if macabre) viewing of these people gone by. Unfortunately, the settled tombs also attracted grave robbers with long poles, probing out the treasures accompanying the departed. Many of the burial sites displayed piles of sun bleached bones, and cotton and pottery rubble - all that was left after being unceremoniously exhumed and ransacked for anything ´worthwhile´. Exposed to the harsh conditions, they were promptly reduced to unidentifiable bits cleaned of colour by the harsh conditions. Also a shame is the (carefully opened and restored) pits, with their crude sunshades not sufficient to prevent the strong UV changing black hair to brown, and slowly eroding the colour of the clothing. Having them open for Tourism is ultimately another destruction of what is left after the first wave of attack.

In this day and age, where we expect to be able to explain aspects of the world around us, it is so refreshing to come away none the wiser. Nasca is one of those magic places...

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Photos

Landscape
This is the sandscape the burial area is in.

Trophy head
A few of these swinging off your belt improves your chances with the ladies...

Still hanging in there
The skulls were placed in these pits after being illegally scattered over the landscape from other burial sites

Opened and restored Burial site
Note the progressive damage to the scalp

Sandscape
Littered with bone pieces and broken pottery, the mostly wrecked remains of these burial sites are all that is left

Pottery recovered
The museum has some onsite relics that have been saved and restored

Lookout hill
This is one of the few accessible places to see the lines from the ground. Note the colour difference caused by the passage of feet. The lines woulopd be easily wrecked by any foot or other traffic.

The lines
Yip. Thats all they are, bt on mass, they are amazing.

Hand shaped lines
viewed from the look out tower, this was our favourite.

Model of lines
This table top represented the lines very well

Art
Nasca town is not very appealing, but this wall sported some fantastic art.