About 400km south of Lima, Peru, lies a fascinating ancient “landscape painting” in the middle of the desert. In this area, giant drawings of hummingbirds, monkeys, killer whales, and even human figures have been discovered, spread across the ground. Recently, archaeologists have found another new image: a giant, whimsical cat lying on a hillside.

This cat, part of the Nazca desert landscape paintings, dates from approximately 200 to 100 BC. Archaeologists believe the drawing was created during the time when ancient humans improved the path between two hills, and is part of a larger collection of giant ground paintings in the Nazca region.

The giant landscape drawings of the Nazca Desert were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. They were created through the movement of earth and rocks, creating areas of varying colors beneath the surface, thus forming “pictures” when viewed from a distance. Hundreds of these unique drawings are found in this area, spread across 280 square kilometers.

Johny Isla, Peru’s chief archaeologist specializing in these ground drawings, stated: “It’s impressive that we continue to discover new images. This is not the end; many more will be discovered in the future.”

Peru’s Minister of Culture stated that the newly discovered image of the cat was “difficult to observe and almost disappearing because it was located on a steep slope, highly susceptible to erosion.” Over the past week, archaeologists have cleaned and worked to preserve the site, allowing the image of the cat to become more clearly visible.

In recent years, drones have been used more frequently to capture images of hillsides. As a result, discoveries like these have become easier to obtain. Archaeologist Isla reports that in the last few years, over 80 new drawings have been recorded in the Palpa and Nazca valleys. They are all quite old, dating back to before the Nazca culture (200-700 AD).