Runways and Flying Fish: Did the Nazca Culture Take Flight?
Runways and Flying Fish: Did the Nazca Culture Take Flight?
The enigmatic Nazca lines, despite decades of meticulous research, still shroud a mystery. While archaeologists may have deduced their creation, the purpose remains a conundrum. Newer research hints at their association with water availability and fertility rites, yet, the long and straight lines continue to spark alternate interpretations. Some theorists propose these straight lines as ancient runways, but this stance lacks substantial evidence.
Did Extraterrestrial Visitors Use the Nazca Lines as Landing Strips?
Nazca's designs boast a myriad of figures, from identifiable creatures like spiders and monkeys to abstract forms. But there's a collection of straight lines that command attention. Some of these lines, perched on hilltops, stop abruptly at cliff edges, evoking the resemblance of airstrips. This similarity has fueled theories suggesting these lines were ancient aircraft runways, with some speculating their use for launching gliders.
Two groups subscribe to these hypotheses – those asserting the Nazca geoglyphs as the work of extraterrestrial beings and others claiming the Nazca civilization's possession of advanced flight technology. Supporters of these theories cite the Tolima artifacts, gold figurines bearing resemblance to jet planes, as evidence of either local or alien flight technology.
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The alien explanation falters due to the lack of tangible evidence of extraterrestrial contact, such as crashed spacecrafts or rare metal alloys not normally found on earth. Moreover, analysis reveals that these designs were etched delicately by removing topsoil - a configuration that would likely have been disrupted by any spaceship landings! The desert's calm environment means that potential landing disturbances would remain visible. These facts discount the likelihood of extraterrestrial involvement in creating the Nazca lines, including the supposed runways.
Did the Nazca Possess Ancient Aeronautical Know-how?
Creating the Nazca lines would have been feasible for the local population, as per experimental archaeology, using the technological means available at the time. Thus, Occam’s razor tips in favor of the Nazca people's handiwork, given their established residence in the area and the potential to construct these lines, as opposed to the unproven existence of extraterrestrial visitors.
Since it is most likely the Nazca people themselves made all the lines, some fringe theorists have logically concluded that the Nazca civilization must have had flight and other advanced technology because of the supposed runways. They bolster their argument by pointing at Nazca geoglyphs that resemble mechanical structures, like windmills and hooks.
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Intriguing Figures and the Problem of Perception
While this theory may seem more plausible to some, it carries its own challenges. It's crucial to acknowledge that our interpretation of these designs may significantly differ from the Nazca people's perception. Their art style could inadvertently appear machine-like to our mechanized-era eyes. This concept is evident in archaeologists assigning familiar names to unrecognizable artifacts. What they term as a “hand axe,” used by early hominids, may not have served that purpose, reflecting our cultural biases rather than the original user's intent.
One such geoglyph, interpreted as a windmill, has been identified by experts as a flower. Critics argue that the Nazca would have better depicted a flower. Yet, when juxtaposed with other unmistakable flower designs, the supposed windmill seems like a different representation of a flower in the Nazca culture.
The Runway Conundrum
Straight lines are omnipresent, and not every straight path in history serves as a runway. Hence, the Nazca lines being long and straight doesn't necessarily qualify them as runways. Thus, the alleged runways and seemingly mechanical geoglyphs are too vague to validate the Nazca civilization's advanced technological prowess.
The Puzzle of the Quimbaya Artifacts
Currently, there’s no proof of aircrafts or flying machines by the Nazca civilization, leaving us with just suggestive lines and symbols that seem mechanical or modern-day features like runways. The lack of tangible evidence like crashed aircraft or ancillary structures like hangars around these supposed runways weakens the theory further. While an absence of evidence doesn't constitute evidence of absence, it certainly doesn't lend any credence.
Supporters of the advanced Nazca civilization theory also cite the Tolima or Quimbaya artifacts. The Quimbaya culture crafted numerous gold artifacts, depicting frogs, birds, insects, fish, among others. Some of these figurines, featuring fins and delta wings, have stirred speculation about their resemblance to airplanes.
However, even these aircraft-resembling figurines essentially seem like stylized versions of animal figurines, with no distinct differentiation from the animal figures. The resemblance of some Quimbaya art styles to our contemporary culture's objects may just be coincidental, rather than the representation of ancient flying machines.
While attempts to create gliders based on the Tolima artifacts have seen success, these scaled-up versions required significant modifications to take flight, decreasing the likelihood of these artifacts being real aircraft models.
Records tell tales of attempted flight creation from ancient China, the Islamic world, and Medieval Europe, before the Wright brothers or the first hot air balloon took flight in 1783. Yet, substantial evidence of widespread flight before the 18th century remains elusive. While the possibility exists, mere resemblance of geoglyphs and figurines to modern technology or runways can't authenticate ancient human flight. Instead, evidence of actual aircraft would conclusively confirm the existence of ancient human flight.
Top Image: Nazca lines. Source: William Perez / Adobe Stock.
By Caleb Strom
References
“Nazca Lines.” Skeptic’s Dictionary . Available at: http://skepdic.com/nazca.html
“Mystery of the Nazca ‘Landing Strips’ Finally Solve” by Birgit Sommer (2007). University of Heidelberg Press Release. Available at: http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/press/news/news07/press_516e.html
“Meet the Nazca Runways: Flat Mountaintops that defy explanation” by Ancient Code (N.D.). Ancient Code. Available at: https://www.ancient-code.com/meet-nazca-runways-flat-mountaintops-defy-explanation/
“Mystery of Alien Nazca Runways – Decoded.” Phenomenal Place. Available at: http://www.phenomenalplace.com/2013/08/were-nazca-people-capable-of-flight.html
“Alien Tools & Symbols seen in Ancient Nazca Lines in Peru.” Phenomenal Place. Available at: http://www.phenomenalplace.com/2013/05/alien-tools-symbols-in-unseen-nazca.html
“The 10 Most Not-So-Puzzling Ancient Artifacts: Ancient Model Aircraft, Plus a Rant!” (2012). Archaeology Fantasies. Available at: https://archyfantasies.com/2012/08/05/the-10-most-not-so-puzzling-ancient-artifacts-ancient-model-artifact-plus-a-rant/
Ancient historic records reveal how pre cataclysm humans were extremely capable. Numerous megaliths exist simply because they survived the cataclysm. Nazca lines at 4km above sea level were most likely above flood damage level. 'Pangaea Flood Mystery Solved ' exploration.