New Nazca geoglyphs

A few months ago a group of Japanese archaeologists from the University of Yamagata were those who discovered new and enigmatic geometric shapes on the floor, 1 ½ kilometers north from the city of Nazca. According to the analysts these geometric shapes date from the III – V century A.D. and belong to Paracas ancient civilization.

These figures are hardly recognizable and sum a total of 24 new geoglyphs, within these the figure of a Llama (a mammal that is used to load and transport) is recognized and other animals that measure up to 20 meters long formed of volcanic stones.

So far they have found 41 geometric figures since 2004, thanks to the agreement signed between the Japanese university and the Peruvian State. These geometric shapes have been recognized by the  Unesco as Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Initially they could not be discovered because of the surface of the desert and the wind, which only allowed to be recognized from the air or from a surrounding hill.

Masato Sakai, head of the research warned that the discovery could be in danger due to the expansion of urban areas, noting that the figures should be preserved and showed to the world.

For more information about Nazca visit: Paracas 

Nasca Lines Decoded premieres Sunday on Nat Geo

Stretching for thousands of kilometres across the desert terrain of southern Peru is one of mankind’s greatest mysteries: immense lines – carved as animals; humans; and geometric shapes.

While popular theories about the use of the Nasca lines have ranged from ancient race tracks to astronomical calendars and even alien landing strips, new scientific insight and the unearthing of a headless body – may be the keys to finally unlocking the mystery.

Seeking answers from above and on the ground, National Geographic Channel refutes decades of misunderstanding in Nasca Lines Decoded, premiering on Sunday, 7 March at 20:00, to reveal why these lines were made by the prehistoric Nasca people who inhabited the desert as early as 100 BC.

Using a high-tech robotic helicopter, scientists create the first-ever digital map of the Nasca Lines, which criss-cross the desert to form baffling mazes to provide a complete picture that links the enigmatic lines to the desert landscape and ancient settlements.

Data shows the latitude; longitude; length area; elevation; and distance from other objects to allow scientists to test theories of the lines in unprecedented new detail.

Living in an environment like this on the edge of survival may have created an intense relationship to the Nasca deities, and in Nasca Lines Decoded, scientists investigate the extreme measures the Nasca may have taken to ensure favour with the deities.

And, when archaeologist and National Geographic grantee Christina Conlee uncovers the skeleton of a young male, ceremonially buried, but showing gruesome evidence of decapitation, researchers identify some important clues to what role these lines may have played in Nasca life – and death.

Severed heads are a common symbol on Nasca pots, and in the grave where the male skeleton is found, a striking ceramic 'head jar' illustrates a decapitated head with a tree sprouting from its skull. But, was this an execution or an offering of human sacrifice? And what can the location of the skeleton; its burial state; and the skeleton itself tell scientists about the true purpose of the Nasca Lines?

Generations of Nasca line builders toiled in intense heat to create one of the most awe-inspiring enigmas ever developed by man. While the earliest lines were formed in shapes of deities and animals, later Nasca lines were larger and more geometric.

The construction was simple, but effective – workers marked up the lines using wooden poles and cotton strings, and then piled discarded stones along the sides. Lines would take many days to construct with workers suffering in the harsh desert conditions.
Because the Nasca people were so dependent on favourable rainfall, scientists now believe that the Nasca lines were open-air temples, used to pray for water.

Sweeping imagery captures the majestic beauty of the Nasca lines and cutting-edge digital map imagery offers crucial understanding about the Nasca lines positioning.

Dramatic recounts and expert testimony transport viewers to prehistoric times in the southern desert of Peru to give a robust look at Nasca life

Recently Excavated Headless Skeleton Expands Understanding Of Ancient Andean Rituals

Science Daily — Images of disembodied heads are widespread in the art of Nasca, a culture based on the southern coast of Peru from AD 1 to AD 750. But despite this evidence and large numbers of trophy heads in the region's archaeological record, only eight headless bodies have been recovered with evidence of decapitation, explains Christina A. Conlee (Texas State University). Conlee's analysis of a newly excavated headless body from the site of La Tiza provides important new data on decapitation and its relationship to ancient ideas of death and regeneration.

As Conlee outlines in the June issue of Current Anthropology, the third vertebrae of the La Tiza skeleton has dark cut marks, rounded edges, and no evidence of flaking or breakage, indicating decapitation occurred at or very soon after the time of death. A ceramic jar decorated with an image of a head was placed next to the body. The head has a tree with eyes growing out of it, the branches encircling the vessel.

"Ritual battles often take place just before plowing for potato planting, and trees and unripened fruit figure in these rituals, in which the shedding of blood is necessary to nourish the earth to produce a good harvest," Conlee writes. "The presence of scalp cuts on Nasca trophy heads suggests the letting of blood was an important part of the ritual that resulted in decapitation."

Conlee also points to damage on the jar that indicates it had already been handled and used before being included in the tomb. This was only the third head jar found with a headless skeleton. Most are found at domestic sites, and prior research has concluded that they were probably used to drink from, most likely in connection with fertility rituals. "If the head jar was used to drink from during fertility rituals, then its inclusion in the burial further strengthens the relationship between decapitation and rebirth," Conlee explains.

Notably, there is also no evidence of habitation in the La Tiza region during the Middle Nasca period (AD 450-550), to which the head jar dates. All of the Nasca domestic sites in the area date to the Early Nasca, indicating that the La Tiza skeleton may have been deliberately buried in an abandoned settlement that was associated with the ancestors.

"Human sacrifice and decapitation were part of powerful rituals that would have allayed fears by invoking the ancestors to ensure fertility and the continuation of Nasca society," Conlee writes. "The decapitation of the La Tiza individual appears to have been part of a ritual associated with ensuring agricultural fertility and the continuation of life and rebirth of the community."

Reference: Christina A. Conlee, "Decapitation and Rebirth: A Headless Burial from Nasca, Peru." Current Anthropology 48:3.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University of Chicago Press Journals.