The Nazca Lines

The claim

"Giant drawings only visible from the air must have been runways or signals for ancient astronauts."

Where the idea comes from

Von Däniken suggested the long straight lines looked like airfields. Peruvian researchers and Maria Reiche, who studied the lines for 50 years, had long described them as ground drawings.

What the evidence shows

1. The lines are shallow: the dark, iron-oxide-coated surface stones were raked aside to expose the paler ground beneath, usually to a depth of 10 to 30 cm. The dry, windless climate preserved them.
2. Experiments have reproduced large figures in days with small teams, wooden stakes and cords. Remains of such stakes have been found at line ends.
3. Many figures can be made out from the surrounding foothills; you don't need an aircraft to design or see them.
4. A 2024 survey using AI on aerial imagery (published in PNAS) found 303 new figurative geoglyphs, most small and placed beside footpaths, pointing to processions and ritual rather than aviation.
5. A runway of loose pebbles on soft ground would be useless to any aircraft, and nothing at the site suggests landing or launching.

What is still open

Researchers still debate the exact meanings: water and fertility rituals, processional paths, or astronomical markers for some lines.

Our verdict

Explained Easy to make with simple tools, tied to Nazca ritual, and useless as runways.

Sources

• Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca (UNESCO)
• AI-accelerated Nazca survey (PNAS, 2024)
• Nazca Lines (Wikipedia)

Checked 31 October 2026. Spotted a newer source? Tell us.