When Ms. Tritica taught us about “Las Lineas de Nazca” in 10th grade Spanish class, I never thought I would see them in person. I still remember the photo in our textbook’s chapter on ancient South American ruins and mysteries. I believe “El Yeti” – the Abominable Snowman – was also in that section, so you can’t blame me for considering the Lines to be a fanciful topic as well.

For those who weren’t in my 10th grade Spanish class, or those who forgot everything after the quiz, the Nazca Lines are another of Peru’s archaeological treasures. In the middle of the desert, there are massive animals, perfect geometric shapes, and extensive lines spread out over miles and miles. They were etched out thousands of years ago, but were only recently discovered since they’re only distinguishable from way up high. The obvious question is then: how did the creators make such large-scale designs?

The night bus from Cuzco brought me to Nazca at five in the morning. That’s pretty much the worst time to be dropped off in a strange town, for nothing is open and it’s too dark to get any sort of bearings. The few other backpackers and I couldn’t have looked more vulnerable to the men with hostel pamphlets and pilot licenses. It was the classic fresh bait scenario that was once maddening, but is now just amusing. I joined two other guys for a free ride to a central hostel, but I had a bad feeling about it the minute we got there. While the convincing owner showed the guys to their rooms, I darted out and caught a taxi to the airport. I dropped my bags off at a hotel across the street, and grabbed one of three seats on the first flight out. I had just enough time to eat breakfast, though I regretted it as the tiny plane banked left and right over each animal.

As we soared from the whale to the monkey, from the spider to the hummingbird, from the tree to the enormous rectangles, I started thinking “why?” as much as “how?” Why did these people decide to turn their barren backyard into a canvas if they didn’t even have the technology to appreciate them the way I am? Some say they acted as ceremonial sites, others say an astronomic calendar, and a few even argue alien landing pads with a straight face. My theory is no less probable: the world’s biggest game of Pictionary.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 7th, 2006 at 7:54 pm in XXI. Peru. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.