Nazca

The Nazca culture (c. 500 BCE-500 CE) of Peru's southern desert created geometric geoglyphs covering an area larger than Los Angeles. Hundreds of massive figures are etched into the puna — including hummingbird, spider, monkey, whale, condor, and geometric trapezoids and spirals. Visible only from the air, they have sparked endless speculation about their purpose: astronomical calendars, ritual pathways, offerings to the sky gods, or shamanic vision sites. The Nazca people likely created the lines through a process of removing darker surface stones to reveal lighter ground beneath. The lines have survived two millennia because of the region's hyper-arid climate. The Nazca also produced sophisticated pottery with mythological scenes. Modern researcher Maria Reiche devoted her life to mapping and preserving the geoglyphs, arguing that they tracked celestial events. The geoglyphs remain one of archaeology's most enigmatic mysteries.