Peru
Nazca Lines
Welcome to Peru! The Nazca Lines are enormous drawings scratched into the desert floor hundreds of years ago, showing animals, plants, and shapes so huge that they can only be fully seen from an airplane high above.
Why is it famous?
The drawings are so gigantic — some longer than a football field — that people on the ground can barely tell they're there.
They show over 300 different shapes, including a hummingbird, a monkey, a spider, and a condor.
How were they made?
Ancient artists removed the darker, reddish rocks on the desert surface to reveal the lighter ground underneath, forming the outlines of each shape.
Because it almost never rains in this part of the desert, the lines have stayed visible for well over a thousand years.
Amazing facts
The Nazca Lines were made by the Nazca people between about 500 BCE and 500 CE.
The largest figures stretch over 1,200 feet long — that's longer than three football fields.
Quick facts
- The Nazca Lines were made by the Nazca people between about 500 BCE and 500 CE.
- The largest figures stretch over 1,200 feet long — that's longer than three football fields.
- Nobody knew the shapes were animals until airplanes started flying over the desert in the 1920s and 1930s.
- A special observation tower now lets visitors climb up and see a few of the shapes without needing a plane.