Spread over 500 sq km (310 sq mi) of arid, rock-strewn plain in the Pampa Colorada (Red Plain), the Nazca Lines are one of the world's great…
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Nazca & Around
‘Nazca Lines’ refers to the ancient geometric lines that crisscross the Nazca desert and the enigmatic animal geoglyphs that accompany them. Like all great unexplained mysteries, these great etchings on the pampa, thought to have been made by a pre-Inca civilization between AD 450 and 600, attract a variable fan base of archaeologists, scientists, history buffs, New Age mystics, curious tourists, and pilgrims on their way to (or back from) Machu Picchu.
Questions still hang over how they were made and by whom, and the answers are often as much wild speculation as pure science (aliens? prehistoric balloonists?). Documented for the first time by North American scientist Paul Kosok in 1939 and declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1994, the lines today are the south coast’s biggest tourist attraction, meaning the small desert town of Nazca can be a bit of a circus.
Greenpeace Did What to the Nazca Lines?
The earth does deserve a voice, but for many Peruvians, and world citizens, the Greenpeace action on December 8, 2014 that placed a message – 'Time For Change! The Future is Renewable. Greenpeace' – in large yellow letters next to the iconic hummingbird biomorphic geoglyph in the Nazca Lines was an act of vandalism, causing significant damage to a World Heritage Site.
Because of the delicate nature of these mysterious formations that date back 1500 years, nobody is permitted to walk on the Nazca Lines complex (these rules apply to backpackers and presidents). Only using special weight-dispersing padded shoes do archaeologists enter the site.
And while Greenpeace points out that activists did not walk on the geoglyph itself, they did overturn rocks and drone flights revealed disrupted areas where the protesters (or vandals depending on how you look at it) entered the site.
After the action, which was designed to call the attention of world leaders attending a UN Climate Summit in Lima, Greenpeace issued apologies, and several of the 12 people taking part were formally charged by Peruvian authorities, with the Austrian archaeologist that lead the stunt going on to receive a large fine and suspended prison sentence.
International outrage swirled around the incident and the Peruvian government vowed to restore the site. However the fragile nature of the lines was again brought to the fore in 2018 when a large truck drove across some of the lines leaving deep tyre marks in the soil that cut across three of the lines. The driver was eventually acquitted after claiming he had been forced off the road due to mechanical problems and didn't realize he was crossing the lines.
After the latest incident the government once again vowed to increase security at the site but whether this will lead to change on the ground remains to be seen.
Explore Nazca & Around
- Nazca Lines
Spread over 500 sq km (310 sq mi) of arid, rock-strewn plain in the Pampa Colorada (Red Plain), the Nazca Lines are one of the world's great…
- AAqueductos de Cantalloc
About 4km southeast of town are the 30-plus underground Cantalloc Aqueducts, many of which are still in working order and are essential in irrigating the…
- RReserva Nacional Pampas Galeras
This national reserve is a vicuña (threatened wild camelids) sanctuary high in the mountains 90km east of Nazca on the road to Cuzco. It is the best place…
- CChauchilla Cemetery
The most popular excursion from Nazca, this cemetery, 28km south of Nazca, will satisfy any urges you have to see ancient bones, skulls and mummies…
- PPalpa Lines
Like Nazca, Palpa is surrounded by perplexing geoglyphs, the so-called Palpa Lines, which are serially overshadowed by the more famous, but less abundant,…
- MMuseo Didáctico Antonini
On the east side of town, this excellent archaeological museum has an aqueduct running through the back garden, as well as interesting reproductions of…
- MMirador
You’ll get only a sketchy idea of the Lines at this lookout on the Panamericana Sur 20km north of Nazca, which has an oblique view of three figures: the…
- MMuseo Maria Reiche
When Maria Reiche, the German mathematician and long-term researcher of the Nazca Lines, died in 1998, her house, which stands 5km north of the mirador …
- RReserva Nacional Punta de San Juan
Just outside the coastal town of Marcona, this small, rarely visited nature reserve is home to large colonies of sea lions and penguins in addition to…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Nazca & Around.
See
Nazca Lines
Spread over 500 sq km (310 sq mi) of arid, rock-strewn plain in the Pampa Colorada (Red Plain), the Nazca Lines are one of the world's great…
See
Aqueductos de Cantalloc
About 4km southeast of town are the 30-plus underground Cantalloc Aqueducts, many of which are still in working order and are essential in irrigating the…
See
Reserva Nacional Pampas Galeras
This national reserve is a vicuña (threatened wild camelids) sanctuary high in the mountains 90km east of Nazca on the road to Cuzco. It is the best place…
See
Chauchilla Cemetery
The most popular excursion from Nazca, this cemetery, 28km south of Nazca, will satisfy any urges you have to see ancient bones, skulls and mummies…
See
Palpa Lines
Like Nazca, Palpa is surrounded by perplexing geoglyphs, the so-called Palpa Lines, which are serially overshadowed by the more famous, but less abundant,…
See
Museo Didáctico Antonini
On the east side of town, this excellent archaeological museum has an aqueduct running through the back garden, as well as interesting reproductions of…
See
Mirador
You’ll get only a sketchy idea of the Lines at this lookout on the Panamericana Sur 20km north of Nazca, which has an oblique view of three figures: the…
See
Museo Maria Reiche
When Maria Reiche, the German mathematician and long-term researcher of the Nazca Lines, died in 1998, her house, which stands 5km north of the mirador …
See
Reserva Nacional Punta de San Juan
Just outside the coastal town of Marcona, this small, rarely visited nature reserve is home to large colonies of sea lions and penguins in addition to…
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