Crossing the Nazca desert, you'll likely notice greyish lines running across this red expanse. Seen from the ground, you might take them for one of nature's anomalies and carry on your way.
Take to the air, and the lines suddenly take shape, intersecting to form animals, insects and plants — shapes so large they can only be appreciated from above. Some stretch for several dozen metres. There are more than 300 of these geoglyphs, and they were only discovered in 1927, which is hardly surprising given that they likely constitute the largest artwork in the world in terms of surface area covered.
While we have an answer to “who” — the Nazca, a people who lived in Peru between 800 and 300 BC — and to “how” — by clearing away the stones covering the desert to reveal the gypsum soil beneath — we still don't really know why these drawings were made. They may represent an astrological calendar, serve as signposts, act as a means of communicating with the gods, or even as landing strips for flying saucers. Perhaps you'll find the answer yourself while observing them.
