Reasons for the Nazca Lines - Essay Example

According to them one of the reason for Nazca lines is that they want to point the place where the sun and other celestial bodies rose or set. However upon further analysis on the hypothesis, archeoastronomist Gerald Hawkins and Anthony Aveni conclude that there was insufficient evidence to support an astronomical explanation. In 1985 archeologist Johan Reinhard states that the Nazca people believed that mountain gods protected humans and controlled the weather. These gods also affected water sources and land fertility since they are associated with lakes, rivers and the sea.

He presented the theory that the lines and figures can be explained as part of religious practices involving the worship of deities associated with the availability of water and thus the fertility of crops. The lines were interpreted as being primarily used as sacred paths leading to places where these deities could be worshiped and the figures as symbolically representing animals and objects meant to invoke their aid. However, the precise meanings of many of the individual geoglyphs remain unsolved.

Another study and the possible reason for the Nazca lines, is that it serve as a landmark for possible source of underground waterways. These lines according to David Johnson shows that the highly geoglyphs part are the part wherein water is abundant. Based on his study the Nazca lines shows where the path of the water goes. By creating a giant, full-scale map they would know exactly where to find their water no matter what area of the desert they were in. The geoglyphs would then be religious figures for the gods or names given for each water source.

Eclipsologist Robin Edgar has theorized that the Nazca Lines, particularly the biomorph geoglyphs that depict animals, human figures, birds and "flowers" are almost certainly an ancient response to the so-called "Eye of God" that is manifested in the sky during a total solar eclipse. According to Robin it is the response of the Nazca Indian to God during the total solar eclipse. An unusual series of total solar eclipses over southern Peru coincided with the time period during which the Nazca Lines and geoglyphs were created.

The totally eclipsed sun distinctly resembles the pupil and iris of a gigantic eye looking down from the sky thus providing an explanation as to why the Nazca Indians created gigantic geoglyph artworks that are best viewed by an "Eye in the Sky".Another theory that maybe the reason for the creation of the Nazca lines is that a large number of worshipers walked along a preset pattern dedicated to particular holy entity. Based on researches residents of local villages say the Indians conducted rituals on these giant drawings to thank the gods and to ensure that water would continue to flow from the Andes.

According to Michael Vaillant, conductors under the form of very slim gold or copper leafs would have been stretched on the ground. These conductors would have been used as antennas to collect the very low frequencies magnetotelluric waves produced in certain seismographic areas, and that occurred a few hours (or days) before the seisms. This hypothesis relies on a controversial theory named as "SES" (Seismic Electric Signals).The Nazca lines would be the traces of the place where these conductors would have been set down, but also of the numerous tests that would have been done and to find "suitable positions" to collect EM field and