After a long break, archaeologists have returned to studying one of the largest and most mysterious geoglyphs in Peru. A huge 70-meter figure of a killer whale, drawn on the ground two millennia ago, was discovered by German archaeologists in the 1960s, but scientists very soon lost it. A drawing of a giant killer whale in the desert was rediscovered only in 2015, and now scientists are trying to unravel its mystery.
Archaeologists have begun to study a geoglyph, a giant ground image, once lost in the sands, painted on the sandy hills of one of the deserts of Peru. The image of the killer whale killer whale more than 70 meters long is about 2000 years old, that is, noticeably more than the famous geoglyphs of the Peruvian Nazca plateau, located nearby. According to historians, people who lived in this area two millennia ago considered the killer whale to be a strong sea deity. This geoglyph is probably the oldest in these places.
The geoglyph was discovered in the 1960s by a team of German archaeologists, but later it was considered lost for several decades. Only five decades later, in January 2015, it was rediscovered by the efforts of the Ministry of Culture of Peru. The 70-meter geoglyph is located in the Pulp region, in the south of the country. Here, the problem is the province of Nazca, where the most famous geoglyph of Peru is located - the "Nazca lines", inscribed on the stones, according to scientists, by the ancient inhabitants of these places around the period from 100 BC. 800g each AD
According to scientists, ancient people applied a giant image of a killer whale to the rocks, completely removing a layer of stone along the body line. The killer whale's eyes and other protruding body parts were made from heaps of stones. According to the researchers, the "Nazca lines" were also carried out by similar methods. However, according to experts, there is a difference between the methods used to make the two geoglyphs, which is not surprising: the image of the killer whale is much older. The style of making a figure of a killer whale is said to belong to the Paracas culture, whose representatives lived on the coast of Peru in 800-200 AD. BC.
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According to scientists, the geoglyph depicting a giant killer whale is not in the best condition: for two millennia, it has been badly damaged by erosion. However, scientists in the course of work carried out over the past couple of years have restored it quite well.
However, the main danger for the historical geoglyph is not time, but people. According to the available evidence, the "black developers" have already set their sights on the deserted area where the giant image of the killer whale is located, planning to seize the land for subsequent construction. If this happens, the unique image will disappear forever. Scientists are sounding the alarm and calling for the protection of the historical geoglyph at Palpe. Time will tell whether they will be able to win this fight.