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Nazca Lines: Alien Landing Strip?
Nazca Lines: Alien Landing Strip?
I always have to shake my head when the topic of the Nazca Lines comes up among UFOlogists. I watched a show on the History Channel this morning which featured none other than Erich Von Daniken eagerly expounding his theory about ancient astronauts with regards to the Nazca Lines. I mean, what else could they be, right?
Of all the possible theories, I think it's a mistake to jump right to "they were signaling to extraterrestrials."
The Nazca Desert lies in an incredibly remote corner of southern Peru. It experiences virtually no wind, and is one of the driest places on the planet. It also holds a near-constant 77 degree temperature. In other words, it is the perfect location for both creating and preserving a large-scale artwork.
The lines were created by scraping off the top layer of red dirt. You only have to scrape off a few inches to reveal the lighter-colored soil beneath. Thus, it is very little work to scrape a line in the sand. That is precisely what the Nazca people did, between about 400 and 650 AD. They scraped out gigantic glyphs, fantastic drawings of whales and monkeys and hummingbirds and more, all so large that they can only be properly appreciated from the air.
Ah, but that phrase right there, "properly appreciated," is at the heart of the cultural baggage which has burdened the Nazca lines ever since they were (re)discovered in the modern era. What does it mean for something to be "properly appreciated"? If I draw a huge figure on a vast flat desert plain, does it still count if no one can see it except inside their heads? What if I drew it specifically so that only my god could see it from his magical throne high in the sky? Or the sun? Or both?
And frankly, what about drugs? Ever noticed how these UFOlogist specials never mention drugs? I have a feeling that a lot of these ancient "mysteries" were either created under the influence of mind-altering drugs (like psychedelic mushrooms), or were meant to be appreciated by people under the influence. Drug usage explains Ezekiel's Wheel a lot better than UFOs, and we actually have proof that psychedelic drugs exist.
But I digress.
The thought I keep coming back to is, "A lot of people don't understand art that people are creating today, and that's with the artists still around so that we can ask them questions." People today can barely make heads or tails of the artwork created by people like Christo and Damien Hirst. It's ridiculous to expect that archaeologists 2,000 years from now will be able to correctly understand a dead shark preserved in a tub of formaldehyde. (Do WE?)
Many people believe that the Nazca lines were essentially prayers for water. This is a natural assumption, given the arid nature of the plain. But I think this, too, is a mistake. I think the most likely explanation is that the Nazca people discovered a gigantic, untouched canvas, and they were inspired to create evocative (and surprisingly lifelike) works of art that remain unmatched to this day.
Of all the possible theories, I think it's a mistake to jump right to "they were signaling to extraterrestrials."
The Nazca Desert lies in an incredibly remote corner of southern Peru. It experiences virtually no wind, and is one of the driest places on the planet. It also holds a near-constant 77 degree temperature. In other words, it is the perfect location for both creating and preserving a large-scale artwork.
The lines were created by scraping off the top layer of red dirt. You only have to scrape off a few inches to reveal the lighter-colored soil beneath. Thus, it is very little work to scrape a line in the sand. That is precisely what the Nazca people did, between about 400 and 650 AD. They scraped out gigantic glyphs, fantastic drawings of whales and monkeys and hummingbirds and more, all so large that they can only be properly appreciated from the air.
Ah, but that phrase right there, "properly appreciated," is at the heart of the cultural baggage which has burdened the Nazca lines ever since they were (re)discovered in the modern era. What does it mean for something to be "properly appreciated"? If I draw a huge figure on a vast flat desert plain, does it still count if no one can see it except inside their heads? What if I drew it specifically so that only my god could see it from his magical throne high in the sky? Or the sun? Or both?
And frankly, what about drugs? Ever noticed how these UFOlogist specials never mention drugs? I have a feeling that a lot of these ancient "mysteries" were either created under the influence of mind-altering drugs (like psychedelic mushrooms), or were meant to be appreciated by people under the influence. Drug usage explains Ezekiel's Wheel a lot better than UFOs, and we actually have proof that psychedelic drugs exist.
But I digress.
The thought I keep coming back to is, "A lot of people don't understand art that people are creating today, and that's with the artists still around so that we can ask them questions." People today can barely make heads or tails of the artwork created by people like Christo and Damien Hirst. It's ridiculous to expect that archaeologists 2,000 years from now will be able to correctly understand a dead shark preserved in a tub of formaldehyde. (Do WE?)
Many people believe that the Nazca lines were essentially prayers for water. This is a natural assumption, given the arid nature of the plain. But I think this, too, is a mistake. I think the most likely explanation is that the Nazca people discovered a gigantic, untouched canvas, and they were inspired to create evocative (and surprisingly lifelike) works of art that remain unmatched to this day.
Photo credit: Flickr/theboywiththethorninhisside