Nazca Lines - el Peru

Im not sure if this constitutes as art but the Nazca Lines on the desert pampas of Peru are one of the most awe-inspiring pieces of ancient design that i have come across. In order to see the full extent of the geoglyphs you have to take a plane trip above the arid plateau. There are hundreds of individual figures and lines ranging from the compexity of the monkey and humming bird to simple lines.

As interesting as the designs is the speculation as to how these were created. They were created by the Nazca civilization between 200BC and 700AD. The geoglyphs are huge (the largest being nearly 900 feet long), imposible to navigate from the ground, and they cover the plateau for 53 miles between the towns of Nazca and Palpa. The lines were made by removing the top surface of the gravel which have been coloured by an iron oxide reaction in the stones, revealing a lighter colour beneath.

There are many theroies as to why the Nazca Culture created these lines, the accepted one being that they were religious images that the Gods in the sky could see clearly. Other ideas suggested that they were a way of showing where areas of water could be found in a parched environment, and signals of welcome to otherworldly beings.

I found all this immensly interesting. I love anything where there is still more to discover and an air of mystery around it.