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THE SPIDER — Over 150 feet long, the spider was drawn with one single, continuous half-mile-long line. The Nasca people may have benefited from spiders eating insects in their crops, and there are still some Peruvians who believe that drawings of spiders are magical.

Photo: dbtelford

Photo: Warren H.

THE ASTRONAUT — A round-headed, human-like figure with a waving hand and orb-like eyes, the astronaut may have earned its nickname due to one of the theories about the lines. Some have said that they were used as landing strips for alien astronaut spacecrafts.

THE HERON — The largest animalistic figure, measuring in at around 900 feet long, is the heron geoglyph. Its zigzagging neck and extra-long beak account for its extensive size.

Photo: dbtelford

THE WHALE — The killer whale was a commonly depicted mythical creature in the Nasca culture, appearing on pottery as well as carved into the ground. Sometimes, it is shown carrying a human head, but its depiction in the desert lacks this feature.

Photo: dbtelford

THE CONDOR — At over 400 feet wide, the condor is one of the largest animal drawings. The condor, as well as the other bird geoglyphs, have been said to represent the Nasca people’s faith in their mountain gods.

Photo: dbtelford

THE MONKEY — The monkey, with its elaborate spiral tail, is as large as a football field. Along with lizards, monkeys are believed by some to represent the Nasca people’s hope for water.

Photo: dbtelford

THE DOG — The long legs of the dog geoglyph are intersected above the paws by an illegally made roadway.

Photo: dbtelford

THE TREE — The tree is one of the few Nasca geoglyphs that can be seen without the use of a plane. The PanAmerican highway, a major road that runs through the region, has a viewing stand from which it can be clearly seen.

Photo: dbtelford

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/episode/nasca-lines-the-buried-secrets-4477/Overview11#tab-geoglyph-photos-1

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