Hundreds of giant lines, trapezoids and animal figures etched into the desert of southern Peru by the Paracas and Nazca cultures, roughly 500 BCE to 500 CE. AI surveys since 2022 have found hundreds more.
Erich von Däniken (Chariots of the Gods?, 1968) famously suggested the long lines and trapezoids resembled runways or signals for visitors from the sky; Giorgio Tsoukalos and Ancient Aliens revisit the idea.
Since 2017 Jaime Maussan and others have promoted ‘tridactyl’ bodies said to come from the Nazca desert as non-human (see Learn).
Archaeologists see the geoglyphs as ritual pathways connected to water and fertility, walked rather than viewed from the air. Maria Reiche and later researchers mapped and protected them.
Yamagata University surveys, recently AI-assisted, show smaller relief figures along footpaths and line figures for group rituals (Sakai et al. 2024, PNAS).
We present both views respectfully and link to the original work so you can judge for yourself.
Cusco Native (Megalithic Marvels) · 13 May 2027 · 19 days
Derek Olson of Megalithic Marvels hosts a modular Peru expedition: a Paracas and Nazca pre-tour (13–17 May, with the Nazca and Palpa lines and the elongated skulls), the main Cusco tour (17–25 May) with the “megalithic anomalies” of the Sacred Valley, Pisac, Sacsayhuamán and the Q’enqo labyrinth, Ollantaytambo, little-visited Vilcabamba and Machu Picchu, and an optional Easter Island extension (25–31 May). Join one segment or all of them.
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Hidden Inca Tours · 4 days
A four-day private tour pairing the Paracas elongated-skull collections with an overflight of the Nazca Lines, guided by Brien Foerster. It …
from $1,620 Cusco Native (Megalithic Marvels) · 5 Sept 2027 · 16 days
A modular Megalithic Marvels expedition run by Cusco Native: a Nazca and Paracas pre-tour (5–8 Sep, with the lines and elongated skulls), the Lake Titicaca main tour (8–15 Sep) with Aramu Muru, the Uros islands, the Islands of the Sun and Moon, Tiwanaku and Puma Punku, and an optional Cusco and Machu Picchu extension. Join one segment or all of them.
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23 Sept 2024 · Nazca Pampa, Peru
Yamagata University and IBM researchers used an AI model on aerial imagery, then checked the candidates on foot. This nearly doubled the known figurative geoglyphs. Most are small relief-type figures beside footpaths, showing people and domestic animals.
Site guide: Nazca Lines & Palpa Geoglyphs · Source: Sakai et al. 2024, PNAS ↗
12 Jan 2024 · Lima, Peru
Forensic archaeologist Flavio Estrada and Peru’s Public Ministry examined figures seized at Lima airport. They reported the figures were made of animal bones, synthetic glue and paper.
non-human intelligencecontroversy
Site guide: Nazca Lines & Palpa Geoglyphs · Jaime Maussan · Source: Nazca mummies (Wikipedia) ↗
12 Sept 2023 · Mexico City, Mexico
At a hearing on UAPs, journalist Jaime Maussan presented two small, three-fingered bodies said to come from Peru. He claimed lab tests showed they were not human.
non-human intelligencecontroversy
Site guide: Nazca Lines & Palpa Geoglyphs · Jaime Maussan · Source: Nazca mummies (Wikipedia) ↗
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Swiss-born publisher of Legendary Times magazine and long-time face of History’s Ancient Aliens. He champions the ancient-astronaut theory and was long associated with Erich von Däniken.
Mexican journalist and UFO researcher. Since 2017 he has promoted the ‘tridactyl’ bodies said to come from the Nazca region as non-human, and presented them to the Mexican Congress in 2023.
Author and long-time Peru resident who leads Hidden Inca Tours. He researches megalithic stonework, elongated skulls and pre-Inca construction in Peru, Bolivia and Egypt.