An ancient sketch depicting a large cat was found engraved on a hillside in the Peruvian Nazca Desert. The sketch, known as the geoglyph, shows the design of a 120-foot-long cat and has not been found for nearly 2000 years on a hill next to the Pan-American Highway that stretches from Alaska to Argentina.
The Nazca line in southern Peru is a group of geoglyphs engraved in the desert sands and there are about 300 different figures. This includes designs such as animals and plants.
Archaeologist Jhonny Isla says the latest designs have been discovered while working to increase access to visitor viewing areas that allow people to see the giant figure that forms the mysterious Nazca Line.
“We realized the access to the look-out point ran over a geoglyph and we decided to alter it because it’s not possible to promote access by damaging heritage,” said the archaeologist.
“The additional motive was that access was complicated and we wanted to make it safer. During that process, we realized there were lines that were definitely not natural,” said Mr. Isla.
“It might seem surprising that new designs are still being found, but we know there are more out there. In the last few years the use of drones, which enable us to take images of the sides of hills, makes that possible,” he added.
It is believed that the design had been put out during the late Paracas era, which ran from 500BC to AD200.
“We know that from comparing iconographies. Paracas textiles, for example, show birds, cats, and people that are easily comparable to these geoglyphs,” continued Mr. Isla.
“The design was hardly visible when it was first identified and was on the verge of disappearing because it was on a hill with a steep slope and was subject to the effects of natural erosion,” said Peru’s Culture Ministry in a statement.
“Over the past week, cleaning and conservation work has taken place which has led to the emergence of the figure of a feline with its body side-on and its head facing forwards. The lines of the geoglyph are around 12 to 15 inches wide in some parts. The figure is 121 feet long,” added the ministry.
Source: DailyMail, The Guardian