Our next stop along the well-defined gringo trail was Nazca - home to the phenomenon known as the Nazca lines which had placed this small town on the world map. Spread over 500 sq km of arid plains, these lines (created centuries ago by partitioning rocks from the surface to expose lighter soil) revealed geometric and nature-related formations most popular of which were the alcatraz, monkey and spider. 
The most common way to appreciate these representations was via an aerial view on board a 3-5 seater plane... however, a recent air crash (which suspended certain airlines) meant that prices for a 30 minute flight had almost trebled. For this reason, and after speaking to several locals, we opted to hire a guide for the following morning to take us to the Mirador where we could learn about 2 of the symbols (hand and tree) in more detail - you´ve seen one, you´ve seen 
them all. Like many of the cities in Peru, the quaint, little town of Nazca boasted a Plaza de Armas from which branched calles lined with cafes and restaurants... and it was here that we spent the rest of our initial night. The Nazcans were proud people who relied primarily on farming and tourism as sources of income... and the next morning we unravelled the mysteries behind their largest tourist attraction. A 20km jeep ride though mineral rich valleys brought us to our viewpoint where our guide explained
numerous theories behind these lines... reasons included sacrificial sites, ritual walkways and more recently extra-terrestrial landing points - no one quite knows for real. Maria Reiche (whose house-converted museum we visited thereafter) was a German mathematician who devoted part of her life to researching these lines... she theorized that they represented an astronomical calendar used by the Nazca people as far back as 900 BC - her work had made 
her famous.
numerous theories behind these lines... reasons included sacrificial sites, ritual walkways and more recently extra-terrestrial landing points - no one quite knows for real. Maria Reiche (whose house-converted museum we visited thereafter) was a German mathematician who devoted part of her life to researching these lines... she theorized that they represented an astronomical calendar used by the Nazca people as far back as 900 BC - her work had made 
her famous. Just as in Huacachina, the small town of Nazca offered little more than this one highlight, and for that reason we decided to board an overnight bus to Arequipa... unfortunately our first choice selection of bus (Cruz del Sur) was unavailable and we were forced to take another - 2 hours of delay, 2 further hours of spare tyre searching, and many crude winding roads meant that we arrived at our destination after 13 hours (instead of 9) having had very little sleep.
1 comment:
Hiya,
Your bus ride didn't sound like too much fun :(
But you got to visit Nazca! I've always wanted to go there!
I recknon the lines were definitely made by aliens!
Ravi.
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