… We got to the “big zigzag” before we filmed it from the plane (in Photo 1 with a mound we can see our tracks). In general, lines from the ground are often a very inconspicuous thing. And if you do not use a GPS-navigator, it would be extremely difficult to find anything. The line may not be noticed if you do not stand directly on it. But it is worth taking a couple of steps - and as if by magic, an ideal straight line arises, abutting the horizon.
A slightly different method of construction was used here - small crushed stone with rock was raked aside (dark stones were removed on the Nazca plateau). The border along the entire length of the central trapezoid is quite regular, very much like the work of a snowblower. It is difficult to say what the initial height of the dumps was and what they looked like - there is a very strong wind there.
We were particularly interested in line constructs. On a large zigzag in the navigator, a hillock near the narrow part of the central trapezoid was marked as the desired point (indicated by a circle in Photo 2). On it were fragments of ceramics and a wooden peg (it should be noted that nothing like this has come across anywhere else).
Photo 2.
I was impressed by the scale and, at the same time, some, to put it mildly, illogicality of what is happening - for ceremonies even a recently built trapezoid will have a rather unsightly appearance - just a huge lighter cleared area with incomprehensible borders; the evenness of the border can only be seen directly standing on it itself, and that no one interferes with this; the huge, perfect curves that run over the uneven terrain will not impress at all from the ground. And in terms of labor costs, it seems, it would be possible to build the same structure as Cahuachi.
But nevertheless, it is clearly seen that the large zigzag is designed as a single figure with common borders, the rest of the lines go either above or below it. Due to its ideal shape, a freshly prepared zigzag would be very well viewed from a height of 30-50 km …
Promotional video:
South of the Nazca plateau
… We got to the place by half past five (it gets completely dark at 7 pm). On this day, we flew by plane, and stayed late at Estakeria. It is strange that this building is often called the "Peruvian Stonehenge". In fact, these are just pillars that at one time supported the roof of a large, but rather unsightly ancient structure. On the way to the plateau, they found a mummy that had not been gutted by the local huqueros. There was, of course, the temptation to dig, but decided not to mess with the dead.
We had to stomp about 4 km one way from the place where they left the car. The trapezoid (in this place there are quite a few of them, both with and without heaps of stones) is made according to the standard scheme for the Nazcan lines - one large heap in a wide base, two small ones in a narrow one, and a strip extending from a narrow part. And again - on the ground, everything looks somehow coyly-crooked, but from the satellite - almost perfect. It seems that a prerequisite for creating a trapezoid is that the piles of stones at the base and at the narrow end must be in line of sight. The strip emerging from the narrow end of the trapezoid has a common border on one side only. On the other hand, there is a slight inconsistency of borders, as if the strip and the trapezoid were built from different ends and had different functions. Moreover, a couple of stone piles are tied precisely to the center of the strip. There are no large stones in the area. Most likely they were brought with them from the valley.
The place is fabulous. Only the wind and visually absolutely flat desert to the horizon, surrounded by distant mountains drowning in the haze. The surface is soft and fluffy, very comfortable to walk barefoot. Victoria Nikitsky, a student of the notorious Maria Reiche, who sometimes accompanied us on our sorties, always reminded us to take off our shoes whenever possible and not spoil the lines. They returned in complete darkness to the Southern Cross. Due to the lack of lighting, an interesting perception effect arose - the homogeneous surface of the desert merged with the sky, and if it were not for the feeling of support in the legs, the illusion of being suspended in an infinite space would be complete. It was somehow very uncomfortable, sometimes it was breathtaking. A tricky place. We are not superstitious people, but with the mummy there was still the right decision …
Ica lines
… After driving about 20 km from Iki (the path lay through some unreal slums and picturesque desert), we left the car next to the road. In our Toyota Yaris, which was struggling to fulfill the role of an SUV, it was unsafe to drive on virgin soil.
From a small hill, a line of piles of stones immediately became visible, emerging between two large piles from a narrow part of the desired trapezoid. A parallel, slightly deepened line about 40 centimeters wide was clearly visible next to the piles. The borders of the trapezoid are lined with heaps of stones, at the base of a row of large stones, in place of a single element lay the largest stone. Near the narrow end on the bank of a dried-up river bed there was a structure with a stone placed on the bottom. A line emerging from a wide base went towards another, similar to this trapezoid. In short, everything is as it should be - a full set of elements of a classic trapezoid, and a multi-kilometer deployed combination. But there is one interesting difference. If on the Nazca plateau (about 100 km from here) all the lines are deepened, i.e. below the level of the surrounding surface, then here the opposite is true. The surface of the trapezoid appears to be well leveled and raised; the pictures show that the dried-up rivers go around the site. It is possible that it was somehow processed and was less exposed to weathering. There is a feeling, though not much supported, that the lines near Ica are older than the Nazcan lines.
There is another interesting strip located not far from here. The deepened and cleared area has a not quite straight centerline-path connecting two piles of stones at different ends of the strip. There are no other obvious paths here anymore. This looks like a ritual - the participants came, built a line, and began to trample a path in single file between two heaps for purposes unknown to us. True, this would have had to go more than 20 km through the desert in one direction (not counting the actual trampling). Closer, there are no hints of the remains of housing here. In general, one gets the impression that the line builders in this region did their best to avoid prying eyes …
Geometric constructions on the Nazca-Palpa plateau
… The latest type of artistic creation on the plateau. There is a possibility that this is generally a modern fake. But there are two details in favor of the antiquity of the images. The first is the construction method. Rows, heaps of stones, elongated stones standing on the priest - all this is present on the ancient lines. And the second, the main one. Construction logic. Or rather its absence. The fact is that, unlike other lines and drawings, these figures are very difficult to see from the air (except, perhaps, for the well-known "estrella"). And from the ground, at best, you will see only incomprehensible rows of stones. Those. these figures were not created to be looked at (no matter who, tourists, gods, etc.). However, quite possibly another way of "looking" is needed here.
When studying images from different angles and drawing, it became obvious that a coordinate grid was used to create a sketch and apply to the terrain. The drawings are not small, such as "four squares" 240 meters across. And, perhaps, it is much more complex and includes groups of circles that are nearby. There is an enlarged unfinished copy of it next to the figure "eight diamonds". Three squares, several corners, lines and part of a circle are drawn; one square is marked out.
Estrella 2 is actually more complex than the drawing, but it takes multiple angles from an airplane to make a reconstruction. And it would be nice to get there, at the same time to consider - a fake or not.
There is a suspicion that there are many more similar structures on the plateau than we can imagine. But, unfortunately, Google earth, as the main publicly available tool for studying geoglyphs, is not an assistant here. It is interesting that the place where most of the presented structures are located is covered by clouds in Google by some fatal accident. And the plane for square-nest combing is too expensive. Eh, if I could use a typewriter, like in the National geographic movie …
Author: IGOR ALEXEEV