A. Belokon. Frozen mathematics on the Nazca plateau - Earth before the Flood: disappeared continents and civilizations

Nazca Drawings are located on Nazca Plateau- one of the most mysterious places on Earth. It is located 450 km south of the capital Peru, between cities Nazca And Palpa. Here the entire territory is 500 sq. km. covered with lines and drawings of unknown origin. They are nothing special if you look at them standing next to them.

Map of Nazca drawings

In 1553 Cieza de Leon was the first to report the Nazca drawings. From his words: “Through all these valleys and through those that have already been traversed, the beautiful, great Inca Road runs along its entire length, and here and there among the sands signs are seen to guess the route laid.”

ABOUTMonkey, Nazca drawing

The drawings were noticed in 1939, when an airplane flew over the plateau American archaeologist Paul Kosok. A huge contribution to the study of mysterious lines belongs to the German doctor of archeology Maria Reiche. Her work began in 1941. However, she was able to photograph the drawings from the air only in 1947, using the services of military aviation.

In 1994, the Nazca Geoglyphs were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Tree and handsNazca drawing

Nazca Plateau occupies 60 kilometers and approximately 500 sq. m of its territory is covered with a ligature of strange lines folding into bizarre shapes. Main mystery Nazcas are geometric figures in the form of triangles and more than thirty huge drawings of animals, birds, fish, insects and people of unusual appearance. All images on the Nazca surface are dug into sandy soil, the depth of the lines varies from 10 to 30 centimeters, and the width of the stripes can reach as much as 100 meters. The lines of the drawings stretch for kilometers, without changing at all under the influence of the relief - the lines rise up hills and descend from them, while remaining almost perfectly smooth and continuous. Who and why created these drawings - unknown tribes or aliens from outer space - there is still no answer to this question. Today there are many hypotheses, but none of them can be a solution.

Dog, Nazca drawing

Whale, Nazca drawing

Hummingbird has a length of 50 meters, spider — 46, condor extends from beak to tail feathers for almost 120 meters, and heron has a length of up to 188 meters. Almost all the drawings are made on this huge scale in the same manner, when the outline is outlined by one continuous line. Perfect straight lines and the stripes go beyond the horizon, crossing dry river beds, climbing hills and without deviating from their direction (although modern geodetic methods do not allow drawing a straight line up to 8 kilometers long on rough terrain so that the deviation does not exceed 0.1 degrees) . The true form of the images can only be observed from a bird's eye view. There is no such natural elevation nearby, but there are half-mountain humps. But the higher you rise above the plateau, the smaller these drawings become and turn into incomprehensible scratches.

Hummingbird,Nazca drawing

Spider, Nazca drawing

Condor, Nazca drawing

Heron, Nazca drawing

What scientists have been able to establish more or less accurately is the age of the images. Based on ceramic fragments found here and data from analyzes of organic remains, they established that in the period between 350 BC. and 600 AD there was a civilization here. However, this theory cannot be accurate, since objects of civilization could have been brought here much later than the appearance of the images. One theory is that these are works of the Nazca Indians, who inhabited areas of Peru before the formation of the Inca Empire. The Nazcas did not leave anything behind except burial places, so it is unknown whether they had writing and whether they “painted” the desert.

"Astronaut", drawing by Nazca

The Nazca Lines pose many questions to historians: who created them, when, why and how. In fact, many geoglyphs cannot be seen from the ground, so we can only assume that with the help of such patterns the ancient inhabitants of the valley communicated with the deity. In addition to the ritual, the astronomical significance of these lines cannot be ruled out.

Nazca- a desert in Peru, surrounded by low spurs of the Andes and bare and lifeless hills of dense dark sand. This desert stretches between the valleys of the Nazca and Ingenio rivers, 450 kilometers south of the Peruvian city of Lima. This desert is one of the biggest mysteries of archeology, history, anthropology and many other related sciences.

The surface of the Peruvian Nazca desert, covering an area of ​​approximately 500 square kilometers, is covered with countless land figures, gigantic in our imagination. 12 thousand stripes and lines, 100 spirals, 788 drawings were discovered on the plateau, among which are 50-meter hummingbirds, a parrot and a spider, an 80-meter monkey, a condor extends from beak to tail feathers for almost 120 meters, a lizard has a length of up to 188 meters ., finally, a 250-meter bird. Some of geometric shapes formed by straight lines over 8 km in length. There is an image of a flower, like a tree. But there are just over three dozen such informative drawings, that is, they make up approximately 0.2% of total number figures. Everything else is geometric shapes: lines up to 8 km long, elongated rectangles (the largest is approximately 80x780 m), arrow-shaped triangular and trapezoidal areas. Scattered among them are the so-called “decorations” in the form of countless whip-shaped figures (a triangle with a line emerging from the top at an angle), rectangular and sinusoidal zigzags, and spirals. In addition, on the plateau there are more than a dozen so-called “centers” - points from which lines extend in different directions.

The lines of the drawings are grooves twenty-five centimeters deep and sixty-five centimeters wide, exposing lighter (non-oxidized) scatterings of pebbles covering the entire plateau.

One of the features of Nazca drawings is that they are all made with one line that does not intersect anywhere. The painting of the plateau was carried out in several stages: many geometric figures intersect more complex figures, partially crossing them out.

Mysterious drawings in the Peruvian Nazca desert, the largest work of art in the world, one of the most outstanding and at the same time inexplicable creations of man, were few known to anyone until 1939. That year, pilots flying over a desert valley in a small airplane noticed a strange pattern of randomly intersecting long straight lines, interspersed with strange convolutions and squiggles, which was noticeable in certain lighting.

This discovery aroused great interest. Initially, archaeologists assumed that these were the remains of an ancient irrigation system. American archaeologist Paul Kosok from Long Island University went to Peru to study them.

From the air, the patterns looked immense, but on the ground, due to the uneven surface, Kosok could barely find them. “The lines could only be distinguished if you looked at them lengthwise. A few yards to the side and nothing could be seen.” After the first careful studies, Kosok’s surprise knew no bounds - according to his drawings, it turned out that it was a clear image of a large bird, which was impossible to distinguish from the ground. Kosok explored the valley and discovered the outline of a huge spider, followed by dozens of other drawings that depicted either animals or geometric patterns. He couldn't figure out who this one was mysterious artist and what kind of people it was that left behind such works of art.

In 1946, Kosok handed over his notes to Dr. Maria Reich, a German mathematician interested in ancient observatories, whose name is associated with almost the entire “canonical” history of the mysterious drawings of the Nazca desert. Since then, Maria Reiche, who has become the world's leading expert on the Nazca problem, working almost alone, has learned a lot about how to create these paintings. She hurried to record the exact dimensions and coordinates of all the drawings and lines before they were destroyed by tourists and cars. As Reiche established, the drawings were made sufficiently in a simple way, a thin layer of dark stones was laid out in lines on the yellowish ground. But, although such work does not seem physically difficult, the project was extremely complex. Reiche believes that the authors of the drawings used a fixed unit of measurement equal to 0.66 cm, similar to the megalithic yard of Alexander Thomas. Then the figures were laid out according to a specially constructed plan to scale, which was transferred to the surface of the earth using ropes attached to marker stones, some of which can still be observed today. The length and direction of each segment were carefully measured and recorded. Approximate measurements would not be sufficient to reproduce such perfect outlines as we see in aerial photography; a deviation of just a few inches would distort the proportions of the design. Photographs taken in this way help to imagine how much work it cost the ancient craftsmen. The ancient Peruvians must have possessed equipment that even we do not have and which, combined with ancient knowledge, was carefully hidden from the conquerors as the only treasure that could not be stolen.

Erich von Däniken and other trace seekers brought fame to the Nazca drawings. space aliens. The desert was declared to be nothing more than an ancient spaceport, and the drawings were declared as navigational signs for alien ships. Another version said that the drawings in the desert are a map of the starry sky, and in the desert itself there once existed a grandiose ancient observatory.

The famous astronomer who solved the mystery, Gerald Hawkins, arrived in Peru in 1972 to find out whether there were signs among the drawings of the Nazca desert indicating a connection with astronomical observations (these signs were not there). He was surprised that the lines were unusually straight - the deviation was no more than 2 meters for every kilometer. “It would be impossible to create such a figure even with the help of photogrammetric measurements,” he believes. “These lines are really absolutely straight; we would not have gotten such a result even using modern aerial photography. And this straightness remains for many miles. Due to the thick fog spreading across the ground, the lines sometimes become invisible. But they continue in exactly the same direction on the opposite side of the ravine, and they are as straight as the trajectory of a fired arrow.”

Maria Reiche is sure that she only touched ancient secret: “What is most impressive about these ground drawings is their enormous size combined with perfect proportions. How they could depict animal figures with such precise outlines and precisely calibrated dimensions is a mystery that we will not solve soon, if at all.” Reiche, however, made one reservation: “Unless, of course, they knew how to fly.”

This is exactly what Bill Sporer, a US resident in Peru and a member of the International Research Society, tried to prove. The people who created these patterns likely came from two similar peoples, known as the Paracas and Nazca cultures, who practiced agriculture during the period before and after the Common Era. But these peoples are also known for their success in the art of weaving and decorating clay products, and this gave Sporer a clue. Four pieces of Nazca cloth from a looted grave discovered near the Peruvian paintings were examined under a microscope. It was found that the ancient Peruvians used a better weave in their fabrics than we use in the manufacture of modern parachute fabric, and stronger than in modern balloon fabrics - 205 by 110 threads per square inch compared to 160 by 90. On clay In the pots, images of objects resembling balloons and kites with fluttering ribbons were found.

Having begun his investigation, Sporer came across old legend Inca o little boy named Antarqui, who helped the Incas in the battle, flying over the enemy’s fortifications and reporting the location of their troops. Many Nazca textiles depict flying people. These legends arose a long time ago, but it is known that even today some Indian tribes of Central and South America They make balloons for their ceremonies and release them during ritual celebrations.

Another mystery lies in the so-called “fire pits” that end many straight lines. These are round pits approximately 10 meters in diameter with charred stones. Sporer, along with several other researchers, examined these stones to see if they were craters from the fall of celestial bodies, and made sure that they were blackened by exposure to a strong heat source. Perhaps a large fire was built at this place, which warmed the air inside the ball?

In November 1975, this theory was put to the test. Only from those materials and technologies that could be available to the Nazca Indians was the balloon built. A fire was lit beneath it, and the balloon took flight with two pilots in a reed basket. Of all the hypotheses regarding the origin of such a perfect pattern, the idea with the ball was the best. But the purpose of all this is still unclear. Perhaps it was a unique form of burial, and the bodies of the dead Nazca leaders were sent to the blacks balloons- into the arms of the sun god? Maybe birds and other huge creatures symbolize eternal life these leaders? But why did they need such straight lines? No answer…

But there is evidence that among the ancients such a desire for accuracy was very widespread. There are clear similarities between the Peruvian drawings and the finds at the other end globe: Stonehenge and many famous megaliths are distinguished by their extraordinary geometric precision. By the time the Peruvian patterns were laid out, the tradition of megalithic buildings had already died out, so there is no direct evidence of a connection between the two cultures. But it would not be too rash to assume that the levels of development of these cultures, in which illiterate people used mainly stones, were similar; and that the art of making land drawings died with the advent of writing and civilization.

Peruvian paintings are one of the wonders of the world. However, the final solution to their mystery is still far away. Apart from the fact that the version about the take-off landing strips ah for spaceships. Reiche categorically rejects the possibility that the Nazca paintings were alien landing signs: hypothetical space aliens are unlikely to be at such a primitive level as to lay out figures in stone. Plus, “if you move the rocks, you'll see that the ground underneath is quite soft,” says Maria Raihe. “I’m afraid that the astronauts would get stuck in such soil”...

Since the discovery of the mysterious drawings, scientists have been haunted by questions about their creators and purpose. The theories put forward are varied and fantastic - from space aliens to a system for controlling the earth's population. Each new enthusiast for solving the Nazca mystery adheres to one theory: astronomical, geometric, agricultural or irrigation, utilitarian-geographical (roads) and creative (art and religion). Other hypotheses have been put forward, but so far none of them has a significant advantage. Even in determining the age of the desert paintings, researchers cannot come to a consensus: some believe that they were created around 200 BC. e., according to others - in 1700 BC. e. There are more than 30 hypotechs in total.

The very first one is astronomical , it came to the mind of the discoverer of the drawings, Paul Kosok. On June 21, 1939, the scientist took the first step towards solving the “mystery of Nazca.” At sunset, he saw the sun setting exactly at the intersection of one of the straight lines with the horizon. Observations in the following days convinced Kosok that his guess was correct: he found the line of the winter solstice (in the southern hemisphere, winter corresponds to our summer) solstice. In addition, Kosok noticed that the drawings and lines indicate the location of certain cosmic bodies (stars and constellations) in the sky in astronomical terms. significant days(full moons, etc.).

But to strengthen the hypothesis, it was necessary to identify all the figures of the Nazca desert with celestial phenomena. This daunting task required great effort, time and complete dedication. Paul Kosok was lucky. He found such an assistant in the person of a modest translator from Spanish, who accompanied him on trips to the countries of South America, Maria Reiche, a German by birth. It was to her that the scientist entrusted the fate of his extraordinary discovery and never subsequently repented of it. It took seven years to compile the first rough maps and topological plans of the plateau.

Only in 1947, with the assistance of the Peruvian Ministry of Aviation, Maria was able to use a helicopter. The first time she flew, hanging overboard: she was tied with ropes, and she was holding the camera in her hands. Then an engineer I knew designed a special suspension for her - it became relatively safe. She worked alone, and therefore things went slowly. First detailed diagram Maria completed the images in the Nazca desert only in 1956.

“For ancient peoples, the positions of the Sun and Moon served as a calendar,” said Maria Reiche. “It was used to determine the arrival of spring and autumn, seasonal fluctuations in water regime, and, consequently, the timing of sowing and harvesting. That's why we found so many lines. ABOUT exact value animal images are difficult to talk about. I only know that some of them represent entire constellations. Most of all I want to penetrate into the way of thinking of the ancients who left us such unusual writings. And it is also extremely important to understand how people who did not know how to fly over the pampa (the local name for the desert) could design and transfer to its surface a many times enlarged picture of the starry sky?..”

The hypothesis of the astronomical calendar was shared by most scientists around the world for decades, until the famous American astronomer Gerald Hawkins, author of the monograph “Unraveling the Mystery of Stonehenge,” began testing it. With the help of a computer, Hawkins brilliantly proved that the famous Stonehenge - a mysterious structure on Salisbury Plain - is nothing more than an astronomical observatory. Using the same technique, adjusted for the latitude of the Nazca Plateau, Hawkins was convinced that only less than 20% of the lines on the Nazca Plateau point to the Sun or Moon. As for the stars, the accuracy of the directions generally does not exceed random distribution numbers. “The computer smashed the theory of the stellar-solar calendar to smithereens,” J. Hawkins was forced to admit. “With bitterness we abandoned the theory of the astronomical calendar.” However, Hawkins' research also yielded a positive result, since it was he who first noted the strange feature of the Nazca drawings: they were all made in one line without a break, which did not intersect anywhere.

The next version of the mysterious Nazca drawings is alien , it is now the most common. And it was first put forward by Erich von Däniken (he was also involved in research on the English Stonehenge). He is sure that these drawings served as runways for interplanetary alien spacecraft. His confidence in the cosmic purpose of the signs is based on the fact that the drawings have regular shapes and the lines are perfectly straight, and can only be detected from the air.

Why are these drawings in places where no one can see them from the ground? Or were they intended directly for gods unknown to us?

Those who watched went around the world documentary"Memories of the Future" remembers a sports plane landing on one of these runways. But since they are visible only from an airplane, a natural question arises: “Did the ancient inhabitants of the Cordillera - the Incas - know how to fly?” Here it is appropriate to recall the ancient Inca legend, which speaks of a “golden ship” that arrived from distant stars: “It was commanded by a woman named Oryana. She was destined to become the foremother of the earthly race. Oryana gave birth to seventy earthly children, and then returned to the stars."

This legend talks about the ability of the “sons of the sun,” the Incas, to “fly over the earth in golden ships.” Perhaps there is some connection between these legends and reports from the English anthropological journal Maine, which, in particular, says: “Analysis of the muscle tissue of the surviving Inca mummies showed that in terms of blood composition they differ sharply from the local population. They were found to have a blood type of a rare combination. Nowadays, such a blood composition is known only from two or three people in the whole world.”

Developing further the discovery of J. Hawkins, who was the first to discover the continuity of lines in drawings, scientists drew attention to strange additional lines. Being completely alien to the main image, they were, however, connected to the beginning and end of the contour (groove), as if connecting the drawing to a certain Nazca megasystem. The conclusion suggests itself that the drawings resemble electrical circuits made by one conductor, which can neither be crossed (short circuit) nor interrupted (open circuit).

Paying attention to the connection lines, the scientists clearly saw parallel and serial connections of the patterns and suggested that the line-grooves of the Nazca Plateau were apparently filled in ancient times with some kind of phosphor. This substance was capable of glowing under the influence electric current similar to the inscriptions and drawings of current gas-light advertising. Thus, in confirmation of the alien theory, the “runways” did their job, and the luminous patterns, visible from the air tens of kilometers away, did theirs.”

Another version with an alien basis . The key to solving the mystery of the Nazca Desert may be a huge drawing painted on a 400-meter mountain slope on the Paracas Peninsula (Peru). The design is known as the "Paracas Candelabra", or "Andean Candelabra". Its branches point in the direction of the Nazca Desert. Like the Nazca Desert figures, the lines of this image are indentations that reach into the bedrock - red porphyry. The age of the “Candelabra” dates back at least two thousand years, and the history of its origin is completely a mystery behind seven seals. According to the bold hypothesis of some Russian researchers, the “Candelabra of Paracas” is nothing more than a “passport of the Earth.” This picture contains all the information about our planet. The left part of the picture represents fauna, the right – flora. And the entire drawing represents a person’s face. Near the top of the mountain there is a mark shaped like a nail. This is a scale showing the “level modern development civilization" (there are six in total). If the “Candelabra” is speculatively rotated 180°, you get a crucifix. This is a kind of symbol - a warning that our planet may die from unreasonable human activity.

Further, the authors of this idea try to explain that this information was delivered to us by a certain super-civilization from the constellation Leo. Referring to a large number of sculptural images of a lion on Earth and in all earthly religions in particular, the authors prove that modern earthly civilization is the work of aliens from the constellation Leo.

To the cosmic hypotheses, we can add the cheerful thought that perhaps star tourists simply left a trace of their visit to Earth in this way, like “Vasya was here.” It should be noted that similar interpretations of Nazca drawings are born in all corners of our planet every day, if not every minute. But even the craziest of them should not be dismissed without examining them in detail.

I want to tell you about another version that appeared relatively recently - this is an artificial system of underground water channels , located in the depths of a mountain plateau. In the city of Nazca, with a population of 10 thousand people, the river of the same name flows. In its composition and “fragrance” it is not inferior to sewer channels major cities, but at the same time, the inhabitants of Nazca do not lack fresh and clean water. It is taken from a system of wells, which are located exactly along the lines of mysterious drawings. And what is especially striking is that two of these underground canals pass directly under the bed of the Nazca River. A general system Nazca's irrigation canals simply cannot but arouse admiration - it is so perfect and productive. It should be noted that the source of prosperity for the people who inhabited Nazca was agriculture, so this version has a real basis. But who, when and how could build such canals?

It is curious that the drawings were discovered from an airplane that flew over the plateau in search of water sources. And only after some time they found wells with water. Thus, the pilot coped with his task brilliantly, although he offered historians one of the most difficult puzzles 20th century – Nazca drawings.

Time passes, and the Nazca drawings only become more mysterious. Not far from the desert, in the mountains, similar images were discovered that were previously unknown. And in this case, the drawings do not indicate the location of underground water channels.

And 1,400 km from the Nazca plateau, at the foot of Mount Solitary, a giant statue of a man was discovered. It was called the "Giant of the Atacama". It reaches a height of 120 meters, and is surrounded by lines and signs similar to the Nazca drawings. There are more and more such mysterious finds every year, which confuses researchers and stimulates dreamers who put forward new versions of the purpose of the Nazca paintings.

Questions, questions... So far, no satisfactory answer has been found to any of them about these mysterious objects.

View on a larger map

Geoglyphs on the Nazca Plateau, like the famous lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu, are one of the most mysterious attractions of Peru. Giant geometric figures depicting triangles, spirals, lines, constellations, as well as a monkey, a spider, flowers, an astronaut and a hummingbird with a wingspan of more than two hundred meters were created between the 1st and 5th centuries AD. There is still no consensus on the origin of patterns made with deep furrows and the purpose of their creation, despite many years of research.

The Nazca Lines were first noticed in 1939 by American archaeologist Paul Kosok, who was flying over the plateau. He saw that the lines recorded the phases of the moon and indicated certain constellations. It was impossible to detect such parallels from the ground; The figures can only be distinguished to this day only from the air. Subsequently, Maria Reiche was engaged in their research, and many drawings were discovered with her help. According to Reiche, geoglyphs in the desert are the largest calendar of the starry sky under open air in the world. In total, on the Nazca plateau you can find about thirty designs, 788 different geometric shapes, including trapezoids, triangles and spirals, and thousands of lines and stripes. In 1994, the geoglyphs were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

To travel to the Nazca plateau, choose light, light-colored clothing and closed shoes with hard soles. Best time to view geoglyphs in the desert - from December to March, when you can count on clear sunny weather. The temperature during this period does not fall below +27°C. Even when setting out early in the morning or at dusk, do not forget about sunscreen and a hat.

In addition to the geoglyphs, there are several other interesting sights on the Nazca Plateau. In particular, you can visit the ruins of Cahuachi - the most important and powerful city ancient civilization, where excavations are still ongoing. 5 kilometers east of Nazca are the Cantayoc aqueducts, and 30 kilometers south is the necropolis of Chauchilla (El cementerio de Chauchilla), most of the burials date back to the 5th-6th centuries. The mummies were found in the first half of the last century, but the necropolis was recognized as an archaeological site only in 1997.

How to get there

The Nazca Plateau is located 380 kilometers southeast of Lima. The path runs along the picturesque Pacific coast, along Highway 1S. The most convenient way to get from the capital to the city of Nazca is with a transfer to Ica; The average bus journey takes seven and a half hours. Tickets must be purchased in advance, at least one day in advance. Be careful: there are different buses from Lima transport companies(Oltursa, Cruz del Sur, TEPSA) depart from different terminals; for example, TEPSA flights depart from the terminal of the same name, located on Avenida Javier Prado. However, starting points are not always located in the city center. One-way fares range from 65 PEN (~$20.8) to 140 PEN (~$44.8) per person. Buses depart several times a day, including late in the evening and at night.

The best way to see the geoglyphs on the Nazca Plateau is to take one of the small Cessna plane tours offered by local agencies. In good weather, most designs and lines can be seen from the air; guides navigate the desert's most famous sites, including those featuring monkeys, spiders, hummingbirds and other animals.

The routes start from the cities of Nazca and Lima. Excursions should be booked in advance: the number of seats on planes is limited (usually no more than five passengers), and it is unlikely to be possible to organize such a trip on the spot. Their cost from the city of Nazca, for example, starts at $150 per person; The price includes transfer from the hotel to the airfield, flights and the services of a local guide. These tours operate daily, mostly in the morning, but departure times and travel duration depend on the number of flights scheduled for the day and weather conditions. On average, the excursion takes a little over half an hour.

Organized excursions from Lima will cost more; their prices start at $350 per person. This price includes transfer to the Nazca airfield, watching a short film about the desert lines, flight, as well as lunch in a traditional restaurant and a visit to the observation deck on the way back.

Helicopter excursions over the Nazca plateau are organized by several specialized travel companies. The cost of such a trip starts from $350 per person; flights operate daily. The duration of the excursion is 40 minutes, including the flight time - 25 minutes. The minimum number of passengers is two people.

Another option for viewing the Nazca Lines is the observation deck on the Panamericana Highway (El Mirador). The cost of visiting is 2 PEN (~$0.6) per person. In this case, due to the great distance of the drawings, it will be possible to see only two of them.

Location

The Nazca Plateau is located in the province of the same name in the Ica region, which lies almost in the center of the Pacific coast.

Considering huge drawings on the surface of the Earth, photographed from the air, begs the question, could humans have done this? The most mysterious place on the planet is considered the Nazca plateau, which surprised scientists 100 years ago with its mysterious drawings. Until now, scientists have put forward various theories about the appearance of these drawings, but none of them gave an exact answer about the origin of these masterpieces.

Let's follow the scientists' research a little and try to find some explanation for these drawings.

The Nazca plateau or pampa, as it is called, is located 450 km from the capital of Peru - Lima. Its length is 60 km and 500 sq. meters covered with various mysterious lines, which make up mysterious drawings. The drawings present in this area are images of geometric shapes, animals, insects and amazing people appearance. The drawings can only be seen from the air, as they are huge images.

When examining the area, it was found that the drawings were dug into sandy soil to a depth of 10-30 cm, and the width of some lines could be up to 100 meters (!). The lines of the drawings can be several kilometers long, while literally not changing from the influence of the shape of the terrain. The lines rise and fall from the hills, but their continuity and perfect evenness are not broken. The question immediately arises: who is the creator of such a picture in the desert - peoples unknown to us or aliens from distant space? But scientists have not yet been able to find an answer to this question.

To date, scientists have been able to accurately determine the age of this “painting.” Scientists carefully examined the remains of plant and organic origin found in the places of the drawings and found that the drawings were created in a period of time starting from 350 BC. to 600 BC

But this fact is not an accurate proof of the date of appearance of the drawings, since these objects could have come here after the creation of the drawings. There is also another scientific theory that says that the drawings are the work of the Nazca Indians, who could have inhabited this region of Peru (even before the arrival of the Incas). After the disappearance of this people, not a single historical mention of them remained on Earth, except for burials. And therefore, scientists cannot say for sure about the involvement of this people in the drawings.

Let's take a look into historical sources, which mention Nazca drawings. They were first mentioned by Spanish researchers in their manuscripts, which date back to the 15th – 17th centuries. In our time, these information sources have attracted the attention of modern scientists, but the most interesting discoveries became available during the creation of the first aircraft, since the lines of the drawings form a single whole and reveal their secret only from a bird's eye view.

The first scientist to discover the Nazca paintings themselves was the Peruvian archaeologist Mejia Xesspe, who saw part of them from an elephant in one of the mountains in 1927. They began to really explore Nazca in the 40s, when the first photographs of drawings taken from an airplane appeared. These studies were led by the American historian Paul Kosok. But in fact, in anticipation of the first photographs of the Nazca drawings, they were discovered by pilots who were searching for water sources in the desert. We were looking for water, but we found the most mysterious mystery of our planet.

Kosok at one time put forward one of the many theories that suggested that the drawings were nothing more than a huge astronomical calendar. For clarity, he cited similar drawings from the starry sky. It turned out that some lines show the direction of the constellations and indicate the point of sunrise and sunset. Kosok's theory was developed in the work of mathematician and astronomer Maria Reiche, who devoted more than 40 years to systematizing and studying the Nazca paintings. She managed to find out that the drawings in the Nazca desert were made by hand.

The first figures drawn were birds and animals, and then various lines were drawn on top of these drawings. The scientist also managed to find sketches, which were later realized in full size. Ancient “artists” used coordinate poles to more accurately navigate the terrain and draw up accurate drawings. These landmarks were located at some points of the figures. If the figures can only be observed from a high altitude, then the conclusion suggests itself that the people who put them on the surface of the earth could fly. Thus a new theory emerged that the creators of the Nazca paintings were an extraterrestrial civilization or created an airfield for aircraft.

Subsequently it turned out that Nazca did not the only place, which has similar images. 10 km from the plateau (near the city of Palpa) there are similar drawings and lines, and at a distance of 1400 km near Mount Solitari there is a huge statue of a man surrounded by lines and drawings similar to the Nazca drawings. On the territory of the Western Cordillera in the immediate vicinity of Nazca there are two painted labyrinths of a spiral shape, with in different directions turns. What’s most amazing is that a cosmic ray hits this area 1-5 times a year and illuminates this area for 20 minutes. There is even a statement local residents that if you get into this beam, you can be cured of various diseases. Similar patterns were found in various countries world - Ohio (USA), England, Africa, Altai and Southern Urals. They are all different, but one thing they have in common is that they are not intended for earthly viewing.

While conducting excavations in the Nazca territory, scientists found new mysteries for themselves. Drawings were found on the shards, which showed evidence that the inhabitants of this area knew about penguins. Scientists could not find another explanation for the found drawing of a penguin on one of the shards. Archaeologists also managed to find many underground passages and tunnels. Part of these structures is an irrigation system, and the other part belongs to the underground city. There are tombs and ruins of underground temples here.

One of the theories is the hypothesis of the origin of the Nazca paintings associated with the activities of alien civilizations. This hypothesis was first put forward by the Swiss writer Erich von Däniken. He claimed that aliens visited our planet in the Nazca region, but he is not sure that the drawings were their work. According to his theory, the drawings are intended to summon aliens who have left our planet. The triangles informed the alien pilots about the presence of crosswinds, and the rectangles informed the landing site.

Straight lines in the form of recesses could be filled with a flammable substance and serve as an indicator of the direction of the landing strips. This theory is fantastic and is not taken seriously in scientific world, but even the writer managed to sow doubts in the scientific theories of the origin of the Nazca drawings. This is where the theory of energy flows arose, which testifies to the connection between humanity and alien intelligence. One example is a huge image of the “Paracas candelabra,” a design on a mountainside on the Peruvian Paracas Peninsula.

Scientists believe the candelabra is a source of information about our planet. The left side of the picture contains information about the earth's fauna, and the right side about the flora. The general image is made in the form human face. Where the top of the drawing is located, the ancient inhabitants of Nazca installed a pointer, which is a scale of civilization development. According to the same theory, there is an opinion that our civilization was created by aliens from the constellation Leo. Perhaps the composition of straight lines was created by aliens to indicate runway for their ships.

There is other evidence for this theory. Scientists from England were able to study the components of the muscle mass of Inca mummies. And the results were simply amazing. The blood of the Incas had no analogues with the blood groups of the inhabitants of the Earth historical period. This blood type is a very rare combination...

But of course, the truth is born in a dispute. And that’s why those who reject all alien theories found it. In the early 80s, a group of students, taking wooden shovels with them, created an “elephant” that resembles the Nazca drawings. But their conviction did not have much influence, and in our time there are many supporters of alien participation in the creation of huge drawings.

Options for emergence theories large drawings on the ground:
Drawings of animals were created as a memory of global flood.
Nazca drawings are one of the ancient zodiac calendars.
The drawn figures are created for ritual ceremonies of the water culture, and the lines represent the direction of the aqueducts.
The trajectory of the drawings was used for sprint races (though this is hard to believe).
Nazca lines and drawings are an encrypted message, a kind of code. It contains the number Pi, radian degrees (360°), decimal system calculus, etc.
The drawings were drawn by shamans under the influence of strong hallucinogens (admittedly, the theory is funny).

No matter how many different theories of the origin and purpose of the Nazca drawings are put forward, the mystery remains unrevealed. Besides this mysterious plateau presents humanity with new mysteries. New researchers are constantly being sent to this area of ​​Peru. This area is accessible to both scientists and tourists, but will a person be able to open the curtain of mystery that hides the true purpose of the drawings from us?

The Nazca Desert is located in the south of Peru, 450 kilometers from Lima. This is the region inhabited by the pre-Incan Nazca civilization (1st-6th centuries AD).

The Nazca people waged war and traded, but their main activities were fishing and farming. In addition, the Nazcas were excellent artists and architects - we can judge this from the found ceramic products of this culture and the ruins of ancient cities. There is plenty of evidence high level development of this civilization, the main of which, undoubtedly, are the Nazca Lines - huge geoglyphs in the desert, visible only from a bird's eye view.

What to see

Nazca Lines

Giant desert paintings depicting animals and various objects - the Nazca Lines - were discovered in 1926. Researchers suggest that the geoglyphs were created in 300-800 by the Nazca civilization. They were called “the largest calendar in the world”, “the most gigantic book about astronomy” - their exact purpose remains unknown.

The area where the Nazca Lines are located covers 500 km2 and is located in the desert, where it rains only half an hour a year. It is this fact that has allowed geoglyphs to survive to this day.

These drawings were first described in 1548, but for many years no one paid serious attention to them. Perhaps this was due to the fact that you can only get a good look at them from a height, and they began to fly airplanes over the desert much later. In the early 1940s, during the construction of the Pan-American Highway, an American professor invited to study coastal hydrology regularly flew small planes over the valleys. It was he who drew attention to the strange lines forming huge drawings. The sight that unfolded shocked and amazed him. Professor Kosok and other scientists have devoted many years to studying these lines. They were able to discover a connection between the location of the lines and the sun on summer and summer days. winter solstice, as well as indications of the moon, planets and bright constellations. It seemed that the Nazca civilization had built a giant observatory here.

The technique for creating geoglyphs was very simple: the top darkened layer was cut off from the soil and folded here, along the resulting light strip, creating a roller of a darker color framing the lines. Over time, the color of the lines has darkened and become less contrasting, but we can still see the drawings left by the Nazca civilization.

How to watch
Nazca has several companies that fly sightseeing flights in small planes over the desert. This is because due to the number of people wishing to inspect the Line of seats on the desired date in last moment it may not turn out to be.

An alternative way to see the lines is to go up to the observation deck on the Panamericana Highway (El Mirador). The cost of lifting is 2 sols (20 rubles), but you will only be able to see 2 drawings.

Palpa Lines

Unlike the Nazca drawings, the Palpa Lines consist more of images of a person and geometric designs. According to archaeological research, the Palpa Lines date back to an earlier period than the Nazca Lines. Flying along the Palpa Lines you can see the image of a Pelican, an image of a woman, a man and a boy, whom archaeologists nicknamed “The Family”. One of the Palpa Lines is an image of a Hummingbird - similar to one of the Nazca Lines geoglyphs. The Other Line is read by archaeologists as an image of a Dog near the Square. Near the city of Palpa you can see the famous image of the Sundial and Tumi - a ritual knife.

Ruins of Cahuachi

The most important and powerful city of the Nazca civilization was Cahuachi, a city in the Nazca Valley, 24 km from the modern city of Nazca. Excavations are still underway here. Today all that remains of the city are:

• The Central Pyramid is 28 meters high and 100 meters wide, consisting of 7 steps. Religious ceremonies were held here.
• Step Temple 5 meters high and 25 meters wide
• 40 buildings made of adobe (unbaked brick)

Near the city there was a necropolis, in which scientists found untouched burials with various items, which were customary to be placed in graves (dishes, fabrics, jewelry, etc.). All finds can be seen in the Antonini Archaeological Museum (Museo Arqueológico Antonini) in Nazca.

Necropolis of Chauchilla (El cementerio de Chauchilla)

The Necropolis of Chauchilla is located 30 km from the city of Nazca. This is the only place in Peru where you can see the mummies of an ancient civilization directly in the graves where they were found. This cemetery was used from the 3rd to 9th centuries AD, but the main burials date back to 600-700 years. The mummies were well preserved thanks to the arid desert climate, as well as the embalming technology used by the Nazcas: the bodies of deceased people were wrapped in cotton cloth, painted with paints and soaked in resins. It was the resins that helped avoid the decomposing effects of bacteria.
The necropolis was discovered in 1920, but was officially recognized as an archaeological site and taken under protection only in 1997. Before that, he suffered for many years from looters who stole a significant part of the Nazca treasures.

2-hour guided tour - 30 Soles

Entrance ticket to the Necropolis - 5 Soleils

San Fernando Nature Reserve (Bahía de San Fernando)

About 80 km from Nazca there is a reserve very similar to Paracas. Here you can also see penguins, sea lions, dolphins, and various birds. And in addition, Andean foxes, guanacos and condors are found in San Fernando.

It is difficult to get here and there are almost no tourists here.In San Fernando you can spend time alone with nature and the Pacific Ocean!

Cantayoc Aqueducts

The Nazcas were a very advanced civilization. In desert conditions, where the river is filled with water only for 40 days a year, Nazca farmers needed a system that would allow them to have water throughout the year. They solved this problem by creating a magnificent aqueduct system. One of them is the Cantayoc Aqueducts, located less than 5 km from the city of Nazca and are a chain of spiral wells.

When to go

Nazca is located in the desert, where it is almost always dry and sunny. December to March is the hottest time in this region, with average daily temperatures hovering around 27C. June to September are the coldest months of the year, with daytime temperatures as low as 18C.

How to get to Nazca

Nazca is located 450 kilometers south of Lima. You can get here by car along the Panamericana Highway, or by one of the many buses that go in this direction. The bus trip will take 7 hours.