Across the arid plateau of southern Peru stretch gigantic geoglyphs known as the “Nazca Lines,” visible only from the air.

Created by the Nazca culture between 500 BCE and 500 CE, these lines include simple geometric figures such as straight paths, triangles, and trapezoids, as well as more elaborate depictions of animals like hummingbirds, monkeys, spiders, fish, and even abstract shapes resembling constellations. The greatest enigma lies in the question: why would a civilization without flight technology create designs best seen from above?

Some theories suggest the lines had ceremonial or religious purposes, possibly related to rain rituals in the desert. Others, more speculative, propose that they were “runways for extraterrestrials.”

While modern scholarship favors explanations tied to astronomy and ritual, the grandeur and mystery of the Nazca Lines secured their recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, making them one of archaeology’s most fascinating puzzles.