2 years, 4 months ago
Can the Nazca Lines be see from space? What is the explanation for lines this large?
Explain how the Nazca religion influenced the people to create massive lines visible from space
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M$1 Answer
Yes, Nazca Lines can be seing from space.
The valley was an important concentration of native cultures in the southern coast of Peru during past centuries. The Nazca Lines are an engima today. There is no proof of who built them or for what purpose. The Nazca Lines have inspired fantastic explanations, ancient gods, landing strips for returning aliens or celestial calendars created by this civilization. The lines were probably created between 200 B.C. and 600 A.D., and were used for rituals related to astronomy.
The Nazca lines lay on a wide coastal piedmont region in Peru, between the Cordillera Occidental and the Pacific Ocean. Take a look:
http://www.archatlas.dept.shef.ac.uk/SouthAmerica/NazcaLines/NazcaLines1.jpg
In this image we can see the confluence of the Ingenio River with the Nazca River, enclosing the area of the Nazca Pampa, a barren plain.
http://www.archatlas.dept.shef.ac.uk/SouthAmerica/NazcaLines/NazcaLines2.jpg
http://www.archatlas.dept.shef.ac.uk/SouthAmerica/NazcaLines/NazcaLines3.jpg
Close view that shows a network of artificial lines, some aligned with astronomical orientations over low hills, criss-crossing the Nazca Pampa.
http://www.archatlas.dept.shef.ac.uk/SouthAmerica/NazcaLines/NazcaLines4.jpg
These last two images show the Nazca Pampa below the 30 meter limit of satellite imagery resolution, and the outlines of sacred animals (a Monkey and a Condor) are visible on more detailed and darker aerial photographs.
http://www.archatlas.dept.shef.ac.uk/SouthAmerica/NazcaLines/NazcaLines5.jpg
http://www.archatlas.dept.shef.ac.uk/SouthAmerica/NazcaLines/NazcaLines8.jpg
The valley was an important concentration of native cultures in the southern coast of Peru during past centuries. The Nazca Lines are an engima today. There is no proof of who built them or for what purpose. The Nazca Lines have inspired fantastic explanations, ancient gods, landing strips for returning aliens or celestial calendars created by this civilization. The lines were probably created between 200 B.C. and 600 A.D., and were used for rituals related to astronomy.
The Nazca lines lay on a wide coastal piedmont region in Peru, between the Cordillera Occidental and the Pacific Ocean. Take a look:
In this image we can see the confluence of the Ingenio River with the Nazca River, enclosing the area of the Nazca Pampa, a barren plain.
Close view that shows a network of artificial lines, some aligned with astronomical orientations over low hills, criss-crossing the Nazca Pampa.
These last two images show the Nazca Pampa below the 30 meter limit of satellite imagery resolution, and the outlines of sacred animals (a Monkey and a Condor) are visible on more detailed and darker aerial photographs.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
What was the religious belief that drove the Nazca to create the lines?
As I just mentioned, there is no knowledge of who the Nazca civilization were or why they built the lines over the barren Pampa. This civilization is still a mystery today; the best bet is that the lines were probably used in some sort of astronomy ritual.
Maria Reiche, a German born archaeologist, who studied and protected the Nazca lines during more than 50 years, concluded that the lines lead to the setting sun during the summer and winter solstices and the patterns aligned with the stars to create the world’s largest book of astronomy. The measurements of the lines also proved that the Nazca civilization mastered the advanced mathematics.
Maria Reiche, here during the 1980's cleaning the Nazca drawings with a broom so they will be preserved better for the world to see. She did this for years in the scorching heat of the Nazca desert. She measured this territory of about 150 square kilometers by foot, during most of the 1960´s, and followed a Spartan lifestyle in a hut close to her beloved Nazca lines.
Sources:
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2009/08/visiting-perus-mysterious-nazc.html
http://www.geschichteinchronologie.ch/am-S/peru/Nasca/Munoz_Maria-Reiche-ENGL.html
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3079547