The Nazca Desert in Peru holds a mystery - a series of massive drawings on the ground, called geoglyphs.
These geoglyphs are known as the Nazca lines, and they cover an area of almost 193 square miles.
So what are they? The Nazca plateau is covered with reddish-brown pebbles, and beneath the pebbles is sharply contrasted light earth.
The pebbles were simply removed to expose the earth below, thus creating the lines.
Nazca's constant temperature, and the nearly total lack of wind and rain, has preserved the lines through time.
From the ground they aren't much, but from the air, hundreds of massive figures are visible: plants, birds, spiders, monkeys, sharks, lizards, and a plethora of geometrical designs.
The figures have an eerie precision about them, and many people claim that they could not have been built without aerial assistance.
Some even suggest that the glyphs were used as landing markers for aircraft (keep in mind that the Nazca culture was active between 300 BC and 800 AD!).
Another theory says the glyphs were used for ritual worship of mountains and water sources, in order to facilitate crop growth.
This would explain why the lines were built for the gods to see.
Archeologists have gone to great (even silly) lengths to find answers.
Jim Woodmann built a hot air balloon from primitive materials to prove that manned flight was involved.
Another researcher, Joe Nickell, proved that the figures could be reproduced with simple surveying techniques.
Whatever the case, the Nazca lines are a baffling testament the mysteries of our own past.
Looking at the figures, mummified by the silent desert, one has an uncanny feeling of wonder and recognition.