Discovery: Science Drones Reveal Peruvian Geoglyph Rock Art That Rivals Nasca | Alternative Fruit

​Famous for the magnificent and mysterious Nasca lines, the ancient ground works of Peru dwarf many other similar phenomena around the world. The collection of hundreds of images which decorate the region of Nasca has been mapped and studied passionately by many inspired archaeologists. Their secrets remain ravelled in the blankets of time,with only theories in place as to what they could have been for.


For all this time, while scores of educated and well read folk flocked to the famous Nasca province, sitting next door in the Palpa region were another set of images laying completely undisturbed. Because of their ancient origins, the line art is so faded that the human eye simply cannot distinguish it properly without the aid of technology. Finding the works required the use of drones to get a bird's eye view of the mysterious desert.


It's believed that the images were created by not only the Nasca culture, which disappeared around 700 AD, but also by previous peoples such as the Paracas and Topara, These civilisations predate the Nasca to around 500BC to 200AD. Perhaps the forefathers of the geoglyph creating philosophy, the images do not always resemble the more recent Nasca lines.


Where as the Nasca lines studied polygons and straight lines, the earlier works depict figures. Most of the people illustrated were warriors, and unlike Nasca, the Paracas images were designed to be visible from the ground. Perhaps as a warning to wandering tribes, images of warriors on the hillside would demonstrate that the area was well guarded.


The images enrich the understanding of these early cultures and help to align events along the line of Peru's deep history. The evolution of the modern day Peru has taken many turns and by studying the unique and individual works of art from past epochs an even deeper understanding of the modern mindset can be compiled.


Attention was drawn to the area after Greenpeace staged a demonstration at the site of one of the Nasca artworks. The area was irreparably damaged by the careless protestors and it called for the whole area to be mapped and pictured immediately thus saving the vital information the rocks contain for ever.