Purpose of Nazca Lines
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The exact purpose of the lines is much debated amongst scholars and the general public. Possible theories range from astronomical maps relevant to the agricultural calendar to indicators of sacred routes between Nazca religious sites, a common device in other ancient South American cultures.
A less scientific theory is the extraterrestrial theory suggested by an amateur archaeologist from Switzerland named Erich von Däniken, according to which the drawing was a track trapezoidal landing craft built by aliens who visited the Earth long time ago and the Giant portrayed in the hillside (“the Astronaut”) is the figure of the alien testified by the Nazca. More recent research suggested that the Nazca Lines’ purpose was related to water, a valuable commodity in the arid lands of the Peruvian coastal plain. The geoglyphs weren’t used as an irrigation system or a guide to find water, but rather as part of a ritual to the gods—an effort to bring much-needed rain. Some scholars point to the animal depictions—some of which are symbols for rain, water or fertility and have been found at other ancient Peruvian sites and on pottery—as evidence of this theory. |