NAZCA’S ALIEN RUNWAYS

(From the #WeirdDarkness episode “Extraterrestrials In The Abyss”. Hear the episode: https://weirddarkness.com/extraterrestrialsintheabyss/)

After years of intensive research, one mystery remains that cannot be explained – the enigmatic Nazca lines. Archaeologists may have figured out how they were made, but their function remains somewhat of a mystery. Recent research suggests that they are related to water availability and fertility rites, but the long, straight lines continue to elicit alternative explanations. Theorists suggest that these are ancient runways, but this argument lacks serious evidence.

The drawings of Nazca include various figures, from identifiable animals like spiders and monkeys to abstract forms. But there’s a series of straight lines that demand attention. Those poised on the tops of hills come to a sudden end at a cliff’s edge, resembling airstrips. This has naturally led to theorizing that these lines are prehistoric aircraft runways or jump-off points for gliders.

There are two schools of thought regarding these hypotheses—one claiming the Nazca geoglyphs were made by aliens and another arguing they were built with flight in mind, thousands of years after the Nazca culture. Advocates of such theories have pointed to the Tolima artifacts (gold figurines) as evidence for both local and extraterrestrial flight technology.

The alien explanation fails for lack of concrete evidence supporting extraterrestrial contact beyond crashed spacecraft or rare metal alloys. Furthermore, examination indicates that these designs were etched gently with the removal of topsoil—a feat which would have been disrupted by spaceship landings! Because the desert is so serene, any potential landing mishaps would be observable. The evidence, however, weakens the case that extraterrestrials produced the Nazca lines, including alleged landing strips.

Based on experimental archaeology, creating the Nazca lines would have been possible for the locals with the technology of that time. According to Occam’s razor, it can be suggested that the lines were created by the Nazca people themselves, rather than proving the existence of extraterrestrial visitors. Some fringe theorists have logically followed this conclusion and postulated that the Nazca civilization had flight and other advanced technology because of the supposed runways. To support this idea, they provide photographs of Nazca geoglyphs that resemble mechanical structures or are designed like windmills or hooks. However, we should consider that our interpretation of the designs differs from that of the Nazca people.

Critics argue that a tool named a “hand axe” used by early hominids might not have been an axe but some other tool. Similarly, when a flower was identified as a windmill, it led to misinterpretations. Critics said they would rather create a flower. However, when the flower picture was juxtaposed with another, and their combination appeared as a flower, it indicated that the Nazca had a different representation. Not every straight line is a runway, and the existence of long, straight lines does not indicate they might have been runways. Thus, the existence of alleged runways and supposed mechanical geoglyphs is too general to prove that these are artifacts of a superior technological culture.

There currently is no evidence of Nazca being the origin of aircraft or flying machines; however, we have telling lines and symbols that are as close as we can get to signs of runways. The absence of evidence is not proof of absence, but it certainly isn’t encouraging. Proponents of the ancient Nazca civilization theory also claim the inclusion of Tolima or Quimbaya artifacts. The Quimbayas produced gold pieces in the forms of frogs, birds (especially hummingbirds), insects, fish, and other animals. A few winged statues that look like planes are the cause of much debate.

These figurines that resemble airplanes are essentially an upgrade on what is already a stylized animal figure, and there is no clear difference from the animals. The similarities may be coincidental—stylistic traits that an observer recognizes as early symbols of contemporary culture, not evidence of visiting astronauts or ancient interstellar air traffic.

Although gliders based on the Tolima artifacts have flown, these scaled-up designs required significant modification to take off, lessening confidence that they represent accurate models of actual aircraft. Before the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903, or even before man first took to the air in a hot-air balloon on June 4th, 1783, records speak of many attempts from ancient China, the Islamic world, and Medieval Europe to create something that could fly. Nevertheless, far less evidence exists of widespread flight before the 18th century. Even though it’s a very tenuous possibility, it is not enough that the geoglyphs and figurines may have some resemblance to modern-day technologies or look like runways. This by far cannot prove ancient human flight. In other words, without tangible aircraft technology, the hypothesis of ancient human flight remains unproven.

(Source: Caleb Strom, AncientOriginsUnleased.com)

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