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troutman · 12-12-2014, 09:18 AM

I was there in 1994 - IIRC I met Maria Reiche who was in her 90s at the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Reiche

Eventually scholars concluded that the lines were not chiefly for astronomical purposes, but Reiche's and Kosok's work had brought scholarly attention to the great resource. It is widely believed that they were used as part of worship and religious ceremonies related to the calling of water from the gods.[2]

Reiche used the profits from the book to campaign for preservation of the Nazca desert and to hire guards for the property and assistants for her work. Wanting to preserve the Nazca Lines from encroaching traffic after one figure was cut through by the Pan American Highway government development, Reiche spent considerable money in the effort to lobby and educate officials and the public about the lines. After paying for private security, she convinced the government to restrict public access to the area. She sponsored construction of a tower near the highway so that visitors could have an overview of the lines to appreciate them without damaging them.

Her theory at the time was that the lines had astronomical and agricultural significance. The drawings could represent the constellations as known to the Nazca people, and many of the lines point to solstice events.

To see the lines you had to go in a plane, or observe them from an elevated platform. It is so dry at Nazca there is not not much erosion.

The idea that the lines were done with the help of ETs was ridiculed.

12-12-2014, 09:18 AM	#25
troutman Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Crowsnest Pass Exp:	I was there in 1994 - IIRC I met Maria Reiche who was in her 90s at the time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Reiche Eventually scholars concluded that the lines were not chiefly for astronomical purposes, but Reiche's and Kosok's work had brought scholarly attention to the great resource. It is widely believed that they were used as part of worship and religious ceremonies related to the calling of water from the gods.[2] Reiche used the profits from the book to campaign for preservation of the Nazca desert and to hire guards for the property and assistants for her work. Wanting to preserve the Nazca Lines from encroaching traffic after one figure was cut through by the Pan American Highway government development, Reiche spent considerable money in the effort to lobby and educate officials and the public about the lines. After paying for private security, she convinced the government to restrict public access to the area. She sponsored construction of a tower near the highway so that visitors could have an overview of the lines to appreciate them without damaging them. Her theory at the time was that the lines had astronomical and agricultural significance. The drawings could represent the constellations as known to the Nazca people, and many of the lines point to solstice events. To see the lines you had to go in a plane, or observe them from an elevated platform. It is so dry at Nazca there is not not much erosion. The idea that the lines were done with the help of ETs was ridiculed. Last edited by troutman; 12-12-2014 at 09:23 AM.