Nazca Lines

E9122

The Nazca Lines are a series of enormous ancient geoglyphs etched into the desert plains of southern Peru, depicting animals, plants, and geometric shapes whose purpose remains a subject of debate.

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Statements (59)

Predicate Object
instanceOf UNESCO World Heritage Site
archaeological site
geoglyphs
approximateConstructionEnd c. 500 CE
approximateConstructionStart c. 500 BCE
climateCondition extremely arid
constructedBy Nazca culture
Paracas culture
controversy purpose remains debated
country Peru
creationMethod removal of surface pebbles to expose lighter subsoil
culture Nazca culture
depicts condor
dog
hands
heron
hummingbird
lizard
monkey
spider
spirals
straight lines
trapezoids
tree
whale
discoveredByModernScience early 20th century
earlyAerialStudyBy Maria Reiche
Paul Kosok
featureType animal figures
biomorphic figures
geometric shapes
lines
plant figures
governedBy Peruvian Ministry of Culture
heritageDesignation UNESCO World Heritage Site
largestFigureLengthApprox over 300 meters
locatedIn Nazca Desert
Peru
surface form: southern Peru
material desert surface
reddish-brown iron oxide–coated pebbles
nearestTown Nazca culture
surface form: Nazca

Palpa
numberOfIndividualGeoglyphsApprox hundreds
possibleFunction astronomical markers
processional pathways
ritual landscape
water-related rituals
preservationFactor stable dry climate
region Ica Region
researcherAssociatedWithPreservation Maria Reiche
threat illegal encroachment
modern development
vehicle tracks
timePeriod Early Nazca period
Late Paracas period
tourism major tourist attraction in Peru
UNESCOWorldHeritageCategory Cultural
UNESCOWorldHeritageSiteSince 1994
visibility best seen from the air

Referenced by (14)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ica Region contains Nazca Lines
Nazca Desert contains Nazca Lines
this entity surface form: Nazca Lines archaeological site
Peru contains Nazca Lines
Nazca culture created Nazca Lines
Palpa hasNearby Nazca Lines
this entity surface form: Palpa geoglyphs
Peru hasWorldHeritageSite Nazca Lines
this entity surface form: Nazca Lines and Geoglyphs of Pampas de Jumana
this entity surface form: UNESCO World Heritage Site: Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa
this entity surface form: Nazca Lines and Geoglyphs of Pampas de Jumana
Ica Region knownFor Nazca Lines
Nazca Desert knownFor Nazca Lines
Nazca culture knownFor Nazca Lines
Peru preColumbianCulture Nazca Lines
this entity surface form: Nazca culture
Maria Reiche workedOn Nazca Lines
Maria Reiche workedOn Nazca Lines
this entity surface form: Palpa geoglyphs