Earth's Most Mysterious Places: Nazca Ina remote area of Peru, 300 kilometers from Lima, one of the most unusual works of art in the world has baffled scientists for decades. Seen from the ground, it looks like nothing at all: just lines scratched into the earth. but from high above, itis clear that these marks are something far more unusual. Huge images of birds, fish, seashells and geometric shapes are skillfully carved into the earth. ‘The geoglyphs of Nazca (the term comes from the Greek words for “earth picture") have been perfectly preserved for centuries by the desert’s dry climate. The Nazca Lines are so difficult to see from the ground that they weren't discovered until the 1930s, ‘when aircraft discovered them while flying over the area. In all, there are about 70 different human and animal figured on the plain, and almosy 900 geometric shapes, including triangles, circles, and lines. They cover an area more than 60 kilometers long. But who created these amazing shapes—and why? Researchers have determined that the geoglyphs are at least 1500 years old, but their purpose remains a mystery. Numerous theories have been offered. A Swiss writer named Erich von Daniken wrote that the Nazca Lines were designed as a landing place for travelers from other planets. However, It would probably be very confusing to try to land a spaceship in the middle of pictures of dogs, monkeys, and giant lizards. In the 1940s, an American explorer named Paul Kosok suggested that the drawings were records of the movement of stars and planets. He called Nazca "the largest astronomy book in the world." Later, an astronomer tested his theory by inputting Information about the lines and different astronomical events into @ computer. The computer could find no relationship between the two, ‘Another explanation is that the lines may have been made for religious reasons. British researcher Tony Morrison investigated the ‘customs of people in the Andes Mountains, and learned they they have a long tradition of praying at shrines by the side of the road. Some of their shrines are just simple piles of strones. It's possible that in the past, the lines of Nazca were created for a similar purpose, on a much larger scale. The largest pictures may have been the sites for special ceremonies. Recently, two other scientists, David Johnson and Steve Mabee, have speculated that the geoglyphs could have been related to water. Nazca is one of the driest places in the world, and receives only two centimeters of rain every year. While Johnson was ‘searching for ancient water sources in the area, he noticed that some waterways build by ancient people were connected with the lines. Johnson believes that the Nazca lines are a giant map of the undergound water in the area. Other scientists are now looking for evidence to confirm this theory.