Association "Dr. Maria Reiche - Lines and Figures of the Nasca Culture/Peru"

Nascaproject

Expeditions

Photogrammetry

Remote Sensing

Terrain model

NascaGIS

Astronomy

Animations

Archives

Theses

Astronomical Investigations

Within our research project we try to find some evidence of Maria Reiche's astronomical theory. In order to proof whether the ancient lines in the desert near Nasca show a preference for the directions of the sun, moon, planets, brighter stars, or whether the lines show any deliberate alignment with a center of some ancient pattern of stars special software programs are necessary.
For further information see the results of the diploma thesis of: G. Ströer

The project examined exclusively straight lines and areas with regard to their alignment with the sun, the moon, and a total of 25 very bright stars. The results reveal that while only about four percent of the 6,316 lines and areas analyzed show a correlation with the sun, roughly twice as many correlate with the moon. This aligns with Maria Reiche’s observations that moon worship played a more significant role among coastal peoples than the sun cult prevalent among Andean cultures.
The highest rate of alignment—approximately 78 percent—was observed in relation to the selected stars.

The results indicate that the ground drawings could theoretically be interpreted as a calendar system. However, this theory cannot be confirmed with certainty, as there are no written records from the Nasca culture to substantiate these statistical analyses. Nevertheless, it is highly probable that celestial bodies played a role in the creation of the drawings.