The Nazca Lines of Peru: Alien Landing Field or a Shrine to the Gods?

Deep in the deserts of Peru lies what has become one of that country's major tourist attractions: the Nazca lines. Located 200 miles south of Lima near the Nazca valley in the Pampa San Jose the lines are huge images etched into the ground. They are so large that their nature as drawings wasn't revealed until 1927 when they were first viewed by air. The images come in two forms: Biomorphs (images of animals) and geomorphs (geometric images). There are around 900 images in a 37 mile area of the 1400 mile long desert. These etched images have been objects of speculation for decades.

The lines were begun about 200 B.C. and construction is believed to have continued until about 430 A.D. In all likelihood the tribes in the area first drew the image they wished to create. Then, using a grid system in combination with a staking methodology, etched the images into the ground using sticks. It would have taken many passes to create the images and they have survived to this day due to the dry ecology of the area.

Perhaps the most imaginative theory comes from the author Eric on Daniken. In his book "Chariots Of The Gods" he speculates that the site was an ancient landing strip for aliens from space. The lines were a method of communication and guideposts for the alien craft. This view has a certain appeal to the saucer crowd but is given no credence in the scientific community. On at least one occasion, according to skepdic.com, has been caught falsifying data.

In the 1940's explorer Paul Kosko first speculated that these lines were irrigation ditches of some sort then later changed his view to thinking the lines were a giant astronomical chart. In 1968 astronomer Gerald Hawkins ran a computer program that compared the lines to astronomical events. No correlation was found.

Maria Reiche, who worked along with Kosko, thought the lines were made to please the gods and to remind them to send rain.

Two modern researchers, David Johnson and Steve Mabee, have revived the idea of the lines being water related. They speculate that the Nazca lines are a guide to underground water resources that existed at the time.

The lines may have had a religious purpose. Today in Peru there are tribes that travel to shrines via straight lines. It's possible that these lines served as guides between shrines for the people that built them.

The area is well visited by tourists from through out the world. Bus tours are available and flights can readily be charted to fly over the Nazca lines. A museum sells artifacts and memorabilia as well.

Sources:
http://www.skepdic.com/vondanik.html
http://www.skepdic.com/nazca.html
http://www.unmuseum.org/nazca.htm
http://www.go2peru.com/nazca_lines.htm