Site · Peru
Nazca Lines
Nazca, 500 BCE–500 CE
The Nazca Lines are geoglyphs scraped into the desert pampa between Nazca and Palpa, made by Paracas and Nazca peoples between about 500 BCE and 500 CE, and interpreted as ritual pathways and water-related symbols. They are visible only from the air or towers.
| Country | Peru |
|---|---|
| State / province | Ica |
| Dates | 500 BCE–500 CE |
| Status | Protected geoglyph zone and UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Managed by | Ministerio de Cultura del Perú |
| Access | Viewed from a roadside tower and by overflight; walking on the pampa is prohibited |
| Coordinates | -14.739, -75.13 (public site) |
What was found
Surveys recovered Nazca polychrome sherds along the lines and at associated shrines, evidence of ritual processions and broken vessels. The geoglyphs themselves, hummingbird, monkey, spider and hundreds of lines, are the finds.
Rules
Nothing may be collected, dug, moved or removed at Nazca Lines; it is a protected archaeological site managed by Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, and taking artifacts, stones or samples is an offence. Peruvian law declares all pre-Hispanic remains national patrimony; entering the pampa off designated points is prohibited. This article is for study and context only and is not a collecting locality.
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Nazca Lines" (Site). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/sites/nazca-lines. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-nazca-lines,
title = {Nazca Lines},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/sites/nazca-lines}},
year = {2026},
note = {Site article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.