- Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 -
Silent song of yellow plankton at the rising of the old moon
Usually, in the final chapter, it is customary to make a meaningful look and put forward all sorts of clever theories, hypotheses, and so on. But, I think, in the case of the Nazca geoglyphs, this number will not work. And I’ll say frankly, I don’t have any clear version of what is happening on the plateau. But as an author, I will allow myself to fantasize a little and in this chapter touch upon things that, at first glance, do not intersect with geoglyphs. So if someone was interested directly in the lines, photos and observations themselves, they can safely finish reading at this place and go to the application. We will continue.
Let us not be burdened with all sorts of summing up and conclusions; the reader, I hope, has drawn certain conclusions for himself from all of the above. I would like to draw your attention to several points that seemed very important to me.
It is obvious that two types of activity were simultaneously carried out on the plateau - highly skilled labor and rough, primitive work. At first I was not sure about the simultaneity of what was happening. All conclusions about the age of the lines are made from the remains of wood (radiocarbon method) and ceramics found on the lines. But, as they say, the inscriptions on the barn do not always correlate with its contents, and pieces of wood with ceramics could appear on the lines much later. The method of thermoluminescent dating is also used, but some researchers have doubts about its reliability in this case. I had to search by photographs.
Basically, all visible lines were covered with quite distinguishable ruins. But there was a place where the lines seemed to go over the top:
Figure: 171.
There is one primitive geoglyph covered with something similar to a trapezoid:
Promotional video:
Figure: 172.
There is also a lot of obviously rough, but purposeful work (irregular heaps of stones at the boundaries of large trapezoids and rectangles, in which the remains of ceramics are found), mixed with t-lines and well-made trapezoids. We have already talked about the similarity of details in drawings on ceramics and in the desert, and here, for example, one and the same bird, executed as a primitive geoglyph and as a drawing in combination with lines:
Figure: 173.
And all the laborious work on the markup done and various interactions and inconsistencies allow us to talk about the simultaneous existence of two types of activity - rough primitive and high-tech (geodesy, graphics, technology for drawing drawings and t-lines, organization and control of work throughout the specified territory, maps, making combinations).
Of course, I am interested in the second component, the work of our mysterious markers. It cannot be that they would not have inherited somewhere else. This, in turn, suggests at least some familiarity with the pre-Incan history of South America. Not being in any way an expert in this area, I immediately recommend those interested to familiarize themselves with the issue through the large number of studies, books and films that exist in our time. And I would like to fantasize about my own acquaintance with this exciting topic.
And so as not to blur attention on this whole immense topic, let's focus on the cultures of Paracas and Nazca, supposedly directly involved in the construction of the lines.
The culture of Paracas is known mainly from burials. It is also divided according to the types of burials found - Paracas-cavernas and Paracas-necropolis - group burials, sometimes containing several dozen seated mummies, wrapped in very high-quality funeral covers.
Unique and extremely laborious to manufacture textiles is one of the features of this culture. Sometimes it is superior in quality to modern ones. Tombstones have not yet lost their elasticity and retained their luxurious colors:
Figure: 174.
Another feature is artificially deformed and trepanned skulls. The majority of members of society were subjected to skull deformations. Even the fashion for the shape of the skull changed. At the time of Paracas-cavernas, they made a wedge-shaped shape (about the same time, on the territory of modern Mexico, this is how the Zapotec skulls were deformed); in the Paracas-necropolis period, the elongated was preferred. But it seems that the approach was creative and the skulls came in a variety of shapes:
Figure: 175.
The second favorite activity with skulls among the ancient Paracasians was trepanning. In some settlements, half of the ancient skulls were trepanned. And some more than once:
Figure: 176.
Such actions with heads are not unique. This has been practiced all over the planet since ancient times and until recently by many primitive peoples. But in such volumes and of such quality, trepanation is observed only in this culture. Archaeologists note the quality of the work of ancient trepaners - about 80% of the operations were successful. There are no serious studies on this topic; most researchers are inclined to believe that in this way they achieved ecstatic states, an altered state of consciousness or the acquisition of certain abilities, including paranormal ones. Perhaps the ancient surgeons were well aware of the structure and work of the brain. This is also indicated by various ways of penetrating under the cranium - the ancients were interested in a specific part of the brain, and not the ritual opening itself. These operations were done with instruments made of obsidian and bone, a set of which was found in one of the burials (tweezers, obsidian knives, needles, scalpels, turnstiles for clamping blood vessels, etc.).
Further. Nazca culture. The Nazca-Paracas division seems to have been done for the convenience of historians. I got the impression that this is one developing culture, Style, stories on fabrics and ceramics, and the way of life - everything is similar. Nazca, as expected, has more variety and sophistication. A little about the culture itself. Traces generally coincide with the region of distribution of lines on the map:
Valleys of the rivers Nazca, Ica, and Pisco.
The population was from 10 to 25 thousand people. They lived in small villages and farms, the type of social organization - chiefdom. No signs of centralized power and writing were found. Gold and copper items, jewelry, wooden objects, and weapons are found in the graves. We lived, on the whole, happily - there is not a large number of children's burial places. Wars, as noted, were not fought (the absence of battle scenes in the iconography and "combat" injuries among the buried). According to plots and style, 8 or 9 phases are distinguished on ceramics and textiles. In the final phases, a change in the religious paradigm is observed (the “flying cat god” and the goddess of fertility with magnificent forms remain) and battle scenes appear. Deformation and trepanning of the skulls continues, but not on such a scale. The quality of textiles drops a little, but there is somethingwhich, along with geoglyphs, is, as it were, the hallmark of Nazca - luxurious and variably painted ceramics. There are several religious centers, the largest being Cahuachi, a complex of pyramid-like adobe structures used exclusively for burials and ceremonies; a pilgrimage center visited by representatives of other cultures; abandoned and sealed (covered with sand) around AD 300 The irrigation system is also interesting - the famous "pukios", operating to this day, many kilometers of irrigation systems, consisting of underground and surface canals, and spiral wells:visited by representatives of other cultures; abandoned and sealed (covered with sand) around AD 300 The irrigation system is also interesting - the famous "pukios", operating to this day, many kilometers of irrigation systems, consisting of underground and surface canals, and spiral wells:visited by representatives of other cultures; abandoned and sealed (covered with sand) around AD 300 The irrigation system is also interesting - the famous "pukios", operating to this day, many kilometers of irrigation systems, consisting of underground and surface canals, and spiral wells:
Figure: 177.
And such a detail. Musical culture. Judging by the number of musical instruments (mainly percussion and wind instruments), the ancient Nazcans highly respected music. In the book by G. G. Ershova "Ancient America: Flight in Time and Space" (12), 15-barreled clay antaras (multi-barreled flute) about 90 cm long, with a wall thickness of 1 mm, with a polished inner surface and finely tuned are mentioned. This presupposes a sufficiently high level of musical culture and allows one to perform very complex melodies close to the level of modern music.
Now for some of the outstanding features. Slightly creepy.
Trophy heads. Similar traditions are observed in almost all ancient cultures of South America, including the Incas. But, judging by various images and finds of archaeologists, the inhabitants of the ancient Nazca and Paracas had just a manic love for severed heads. It is not entirely correct to call them trophy ones - they cut mostly their own (the apparent absence of signs of any hostilities). According to archaeologists, at least 10% of the adult population was subjected to execution, 80% of whom were men, the rest were women and adolescents. At the head separated from the body, the frontal bone was pierced and a rope was inserted, for the convenience of further use:
Figure: 178.
There is a very indifferent attitude towards heads - sewing up the eyelids and lips, filling the skull with tissue and remnants of food, cutting off the tongue and packing it into a leather bag, ritual burials (up to 40 pieces or more), sometimes with excrement in the mouth, etc. And if you look at the drawings on ceramics, you get the impression that heads were often used in households, in rituals, and sometimes performed something like a decorative function:
Figure: 179.
Unfortunately, the mythology and worldview of these people, as noted by Dr. K. Clados (25), are completely opaque to the modern observer. But something can still be said. It is very likely that magic and religious rituals associated with the use of hallucinogens were widespread among the population. The fact that coca leaves and various hallucinogens constituted a significant part of the food basket of the ancient Nazcan is evidenced by drawings on ceramics, finds in burials; many researchers write about the same.
Figure: 180.
In favor of such rituals is also the fact that these societies were at the lower stages of social development (tribes with a shaman-leader, where usually the entire population participates in such rituals). With the emergence of a hierarchy in society, with the formation of a centralized state, the use of hallucinogens for ritual purposes becomes the privilege of the nobility, and then practically disappears altogether (as happened, say, among the Incas, in whom all kinds of psychotropic drugs could only be used by nobles and healers, and the share of the common population remained exclusively low-alcoholic chicha) (21). And this is completely natural, because everywhere in the ancient world it was believed that such hallucinogenic rituals give the participants extraordinary strength, make it possible to turn into animals, leave the body, move in space;and who of those in power would like it? The topic is also immense, but we can say the following that such rituals described by ethnographers for the most part were strictly regulated and controlled, where, by the way, music performed a technical function, played the role of a kind of conductor, and where substances that alter consciousness (often made in an extremely intricate way) were used as a means of obtaining specific knowledge and experience. In contrast to their use in the modern world, where such funds are mostly used uncontrollably to get euphoria, or to get away from problems in everyday life. If we return to our lines, it should be noted that some ethnographers and supporters of alternative versions believe that the described traditions are somehow connected with shamanic flights, and not only imaginary, but also real. As incredible as it may seem. Indeed, one of the most common characters in the nasca paracas iconography was the so-called. "Flying deity paracas", or "mythological creature in a mask", "flying demon":
Figure: 181.
As you can see, the emphasis on the drawings was placed precisely on the physical flight (developing hair, body position), and not on the hallucinogenic journey through the virtual spaces of other worlds. In general, I did not even take this version (the connection of geoglyphs with shamanic flights) seriously when I started getting to know the problem. But the blatant Nazcan illogicality makes you look closely at all the most incredible versions. And what if, indeed, these pictures are not delirium of an Indian who has slightly overestimated the dose, but observations of the local population according to the principle that I see what I sing? Sometimes you can see an object in your hands that looks like a "tumi" - a knife used for trepanation. All those flying have a head ornament (the top row is paracas textiles); in the Nazca times, all such characters were supposed to have a face mask. Similar items are found in burials:
Figure: 182.
The mummy's face ornament is attached higher, due to the absence of a nose, where, apparently, it was attached. It is not entirely clear whether these are original objects or ritual imitation. Regarding the forehead adornments, the trepanning holes in the skull were often covered with gold plates, and if we seriously consider this version, perhaps it was to achieve such unusual abilities that all this neurosurgery was needed, and such adornment was used as a distinction marking certain achievements.
It is clear that creatures with feline features on ceramics often depicted heroes of local legends, and all kinds of spirits that inhabited the surrounding world of the Indian of that time. But ordinary everyday scenes (hunting, farming, erotica, etc.) are also common. So there is a chance to see something on our topic, although it is clear that many "oddities" will stem from the complete absence of written sources and at least an approximate idea of mythology. Well, in the absence of writing, let's try to consider pictures. And there are enough oddities. For example, robotic figures and some kind of process associated with music (numerous brown objects are clay antaras):
Figure: 183.
Six-fingered and head manipulation:
Figure: 184.
The use of heads of all possible conditions not for their intended purpose (we could not find any drawings on the topic of trepanation):
Figure: 185.
There are also drawings that belong to the battle genre. But in my opinion, here we are rather talking about some kind of actions with unarmed people (again with an emphasis on the heads), carried out mainly by the same "cat-gods":
Figure: 186.
Interestingly, cassava could have eaten raw cassava, although many sources say that raw cassava is poisonous:
Figure: 187.
Before moving on to the next image, we need to make a small digression. Many researchers raise the issue of the discrepancy between the labor costs of making the line and the number of people living in the area at that time. It is difficult to judge this after almost two thousand years, but the problem does seem to exist. We have already seen that the lines are not just sections of the surface cleared of stones, but often deepened, high-quality ground structures with stone boundaries and structures. And in some parts of the desert, there is practically no living space left from such repeated construction. At the same time, the builders, it seems, made the task more difficult for themselves - the stones on the lines were first collected in heaps, and then transferred to the borders. And sometimes the borders go over ready-made wide stripes - i.e. again the stones were carried back,to build a border on an already cleared area. And on some wide strips, the number of stones at the borders does not match the amount removed from the strips themselves. Those. the stones simply disappeared somewhere.
And in this regard, the following picture is of interest. A worthy competitor to the famous "astronaut" from the Temple of Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico:
Figure: 188.
It is possible that this is an episode from some Nazcan myth that has not come down to us, but the fact that the "cat-god" devouring objects similar to stones is used as a kind of vehicle for a warrior with a spear-thrower and full ammunition is depicted quite unambiguously.
And the next group of images captures actions, possibly related to working on trapezoids:
Figure: 189.
From the point of view of the Indian artists (who, as we know from the example of the sixteen-legged spider, could not understand what was happening in the desert), it is quite natural to interpret this precisely as mass rituals, including sacrifices related to fertility, etc. The two stone buildings at the end of the trapezoid could very well have seemed with eyes. But the following is also interesting. In the lower right figure, which does not have extras, two flying cat-gods of different types leave behind stripes with dots. This image is not single:
Figure: 190.
In the picture on the right, the place of the cat god is taken by a "mythological bird", or a harpy, also a common character in the pictures:
Figure: 191.
All of these mythological creatures are well suited for the role of our markers, who performed a significant part of the work on ruling the desert in some incomprehensible way. Whether these were concrete creatures, or some kind of impersonal force acting through various intermediaries (the head of a cat god can be seen on fish, animals and plants) is not clear. I repeat that much of what was shown most likely existed only in the minds of the Indians, but other applicants for any high-tech actions could not be found. And what did the Indian actually represent, drawing, say, a harpy? If he saw a modern helicopter, he would draw something similar to a one-eyed terrible bird. But, perhaps, technical means in our understanding were not used. If we assume that trepanation is also the work of cat-markers,why did they perform the operations with the help of at least well and correctly done, but still primitive instruments (bone, stone), while experiencing the corresponding difficulties and exposing the patient to great danger (but, I must say, they coped with this task masterfully)? Yes, and a considerable number of "trophy" heads, obtained not in battles, leaves the feeling of some kind of process over the population, used as available improvised material. On the lines, as we have seen, there is a lot of manual primitive work done at different stages of construction. This means that there was a need to involve the local population as executors of the rough work. All this resembles the situation observed everywhere in the ancient world. There are traces of high technologies mixed with rough work, but technical means and tools were clearly not found. The situation is a bit like one episode from Jules Verne's Mysterious Island. There, if you remember, there was such an engineer, Cyros Smith, who made several liters of nitroglycerin practically on his knees to blow up a granite rock, using only his knowledge of chemistry. And what we see in the Nazca desert is very similar to the consequences of applying only knowledge unknown to us, some deeper information about the laws of the surrounding world and human consciousness. Maria Reiche spoke about the same, referring to the unknown equipment and ancient knowledge hidden from the conquerors.what we see in the Nazca desert is very similar to the consequences of applying only knowledge unknown to us, some deeper information about the laws of the surrounding world and human consciousness. Maria Reiche spoke about the same, referring to the unknown equipment and ancient knowledge hidden from the conquerors.what we see in the Nazca desert is very similar to the consequences of applying only knowledge unknown to us, some deeper information about the laws of the surrounding world and human consciousness. Maria Reiche spoke about the same, referring to the unknown equipment and ancient knowledge hidden from the conquerors.
Let's go back to Nazca. Not far from Cahuachi, there is an interesting structure dating back to the Nazca culture, which is considered the wooden Stonehenge of Ancient Peru. It consists of hundreds of dried mesquite trunks. The center of this complex is a square formed by 12 rows - 12 pillars each. However, at present, almost nothing is left of it - the locals use it as firewood (the top photos were taken in the 40s):
Figure: 192.
This structure is often compared to the American HAARP aurora project. The purpose, you know, is unknown, the official version mentions the astronomical calendar. A bit like the megalithic buildings of Europe. And not only in Europe. As you know, all kinds of menhirs, cromlechs and dolmens are scattered all over the planet:
Figure: 193.
And here is the plan of the menhirs complex in French Karnak and the stage of construction of Stonehenge in comparison with some objects in the Nazca area:
Figure: 194.
The coincidences, perhaps, are accidental, and it still will not add clarity in the purpose of both of the one and the other, but nevertheless, very often in connection with such structures one can hear versions about all kinds of energy flows of an incomprehensible nature. It must be said that the version of lines as guides for energy flows is also not new. For example, in his wonderful book “The Nazca Desert. Traces of a different mind”A. T. Belokon compares line combinations with geometrical optics schemes. In general, the idea of optical schemes (reflection, targeting, projection) constantly arises, as you noticed, throughout the description. It is extremely rare, but there are elements similar to certain objects that serve to refract the beam-stream. Two such elements are clearly visible in the upper images, and below are a comparison of line combinations with an optical scheme for obtaining a hologram and a geoglyph near Viru,turning into something like an atmospheric discharge:
Figure: 195.
It is possible that the discovered magnetic anomalies on the lines are not traces of numerous walks, but the remnants of an energy flow of some obscure nature. But how to explain the bends and drawings within the framework of this version is not clear. If we only assume that the trapezoid with all the elements resembling optics was some kind of pumping structure, and all the t-lines, patterns and fillets are traces of the movement of the energy-consuming object. But at the same time, for this object, judging by the sharp changes in direction, it is necessary to change the laws of physics and cancel inertia … And again, riddles …
I think that all serious people, after reading the application, have been going about their business for a long time, and nothing prevents us from fantasizing about the actions of the cat-gods in the Nazca desert.
Simple shamanic flights under the influence of competently prepared cacti and visions obtained in other worlds all this geometry, t-lines, Bezier curves, 3-d, "estrella", etc. it is rather difficult to explain. What actually happened can only really only fantasize. For example. There is a version that all these are the consequences of the influence of an alien civilization, which solved various kinds of problems on our planet. But since no remnants of technical means and tools have yet been found, and they left behind quite a lot (all this can be seen by looking at the photo gallery on the LAI website), there is a reasonable assumption that they acted with improvised means in the manner of Cyros Smith, and, possibly, through other beings living on our planet.
In the light of the above, the sometimes sounding phrase technology "avatar", taken from the sensational film of the same name, comes to mind. I don’t know how the process can be represented in our case - let’s assume that there are technologies with the help of which the consciousness of an object or a group of objects is replaced, similar to what is mentioned when they talk about obsessions, mediums, and all kinds of ESP (out-of-body experiences). And we get a character or a whole group who have more complete information about the structure of the world around them, and who begin to solve strange problems in ways that are out of the range available to our understanding (in the case of Cyros Smith, if you look through the eyes of the natives, by witchcraft actions to extract magic thunder from the earth -water capable of destroying mountains). And were all these skull experiments done to prepare a more suitable shell?
And then, of course, all sorts of parallel worlds, "astral", spiritual-non-material component, etc. come to mind. But usually all this is presented as a kind of superstructure, or superstructures, copies of our wonderful world with a fairly symmetrical reflection of everything that happens in our country. And if this is not quite the case? And our material world is just an insignificant particle of thickened space surrounded by an endless ocean of all kinds of existence and consciousness, as described by Robert Monroe, Daniil Andreev, Carlos Castaneda and many others? We fantasize further. And it turns out that much of the unusual that sometimes happens in our life (all sorts of various UFOs, anomalous phenomena, etc.) are similar to an accidental mushroom picker who by mistake wandered into our swamp, who, perhaps, simply lost his way, and he doesn't need anything with us. And here we can talk about such diverse influences, in comparison with which many myths, legends, shamanic tales, which have accumulated innumerable among modern ethnographers and historians, will turn out, firstly, pure truth, and secondly, they will seem boring black white silent movies compared to what is happening in reality. It is clear that in this case, in the words of R. Monroe, we go beyond science, morality and religions inherent in our world. Monroe, we go beyond the science, morality and religions of our world. Monroe, we go beyond the science, morality and religions of our world.
But, apparently, still someone needs something from us. The fact that we are not all right with the official history is now becoming clear to more and more people. But, with our usual suspicion, we perceive any unknown as a potential threat to life. Well, perfectly natural and fully justified. But sometimes it interferes with a detached and honest look at everything that seems unknown and frightening to us. And if we assume that this most outside influence is needed … by ourselves? Indeed, even with a cursory acquaintance with the ancient history, and not only with the ancient, the words extinction, degeneration, death of civilizations or cultures are heard no less often than the origin, merger and development. And there are plenty of examples of primitive cultures, as if frozen at some one historical stage. So maybe third-party shocks are absolutely necessary to enable the correct and harmonious self-development of the project called "Homo sapiens"? And like any jolts, not everything happens painlessly, and often a failed attempt in the form of a degenerating culture has to be used as a breeding ground for another, more promising one? I apologize for the terms from microbiology in relation to our long-suffering civilization, but maybe just such a process is most effective in our case?more promising? I apologize for the terms from microbiology in relation to our long-suffering civilization, but maybe just such a process is most effective in our case?more promising? I apologize for the terms from microbiology in relation to our long-suffering civilization, but maybe just such a process is most effective in our case?
As you can see, the final life-affirming chord in this case does not work, and therefore on this questioning note, let me finish and thank the reader for his patience and joint attempt to touch the riddle called "Geoglyphs of Nazca".
***
The author is deeply grateful to:
A. Yu. Sklyarov for providing and the opportunity to use the photographs taken during the 2007 LAI expedition to Peru;
A. T. Belokon, for the materials provided;
A. G. Tatukov, for the high-quality drawings of the Nazca lines and some ideas used in the article;
artists-designers I. Buravleva and O. Laryushkina, for their help in working with drawings.
Author: IGOR ALEXEEV