Did aliens have a hand in the Nazca Lines?
Pottery on the lines and the 2024 survey tie them to people who made and walked them from at least the 1st century BCE. The landing-strip claim has no support in any record read; what the lines were for is still argued.
- ✓ Confirmed1st century BCEPeople on the Nazca Pampa start making geoglyphs by the 1st century BCE
- ✓ Confirmed23 Sep 2024The PNAS survey paper says the two kinds of figures served different purposes
- UnverifiedTheoryThe lines were meant as landing strips or signals for visitors from space
- DisputedTheoryThe lines were laid out as an astronomical calendar
Giant lines and figures scraped into the desert of southern Peru. Archaeologists date them to the Nasca era; a 1968 bestseller called the plain an airfield, and in 2024 an AI-guided survey nearly doubled the known figures.
The question Who made the Nazca Lines, how old are they, and what were they for?
What the records say
The documented story holds up: 11 of 11 timeline steps are Confirmed by the records (score 100).
3 theories checked: 2 unverified, 1 disputed. A theory is rated by its key claim.
The PNAS survey paper says the two kinds of figures served different purposes
confirmedConfirmed as a record of what this document says, not that it is true. See the step
Down the rabbit hole
The ground line is the documented timeline. Each tunnel is a theory that branches off it; every chamber is a step, coloured by how well the records support it. The deepest chamber is the theory’s key claim. Tap one to open it.
Main timeline
Oldest first- 1st century BCEconfirmed
People on the Nazca Pampa start making geoglyphs by the 1st century BCE
Pottery found on and near the lines shows their use began by at least the 1st century BCE, in the Initial Nasca period (100 BCE to 50 CE), and went on until the 15th century CE. They were made by removing the weathered surface gravel to reveal the lighter ground beneath.
T1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024Introduction: Dating of Nazca GeoglyphsT1UNESCO World Heritage listingStatement of Outstanding Universal Value: authenticitySources disagreeUNESCO’s short description dates the lines to between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500; its longer statement says the 8th century BC to the 8th century AD; the 2024 survey dates the start to at least the 1st century BCE. - 50–300 CEconfirmed
Early Nasca pottery turns up at the giant figures
Pottery from the Early Nasca period (50 to 300 CE) was found at the large line-drawn figures such as the “whale” and the “monkey”, so some of them were in use by then. Their style matches Nasca pottery designs.
T1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024Introduction: Dating of Nazca Geoglyphs - Early 20th centuryconfirmed
The lines are rediscovered
The 2024 survey paper says the lines were rediscovered in the early 20th century. Among the first reports it cites is one by T. Mejía Xesspe, given at a congress in Lima in 1939.
T1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024Introduction, refs. 1–2 - 1941 onwardconfirmed
Maria Reiche and others begin decades of study and protection
UNESCO’s listing says that since 1941 foreign scientists, notably Dr Maria Reiche, and Peru’s Ministry of Culture have studied, conserved and protected the lines.
T1UNESCO World Heritage listingProtection and management requirements - 1968confirmed
Erich von Däniken’s book says the plain looked like an airfield
In “Chariots of the Gods?” he wrote that seen from the air the plain “made on me was that of an airfield!” and asked whether the lines told the “gods”: “Land here!” He also wrote that it was “not yet possible to say with certainty”.
T3Von Däniken, “Chariots of the Gods?”pp. 16–17 - 1994confirmed
UNESCO makes the lines a World Heritage site
The Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa were inscribed in 1994. UNESCO says they cover about 450 square kilometres, some 400 km south of Lima.
T1UNESCO World Heritage listingDate of Inscription; brief description - 20 Jun 2017confirmed
Gaia’s video presents three-fingered “mummies” said to be from Nazca
The streaming company’s special report says researchers began studying six three-fingered mummies found in Nazca in spring 2017, and that the largest was carbon dated to roughly 1,700 years.
T3YouTube: Gaia, “Unearthing Nazca”video description - 15 Nov 2019confirmed
Yamagata University announces 143 new geoglyphs, one of them found by AI
Professor Masato Sakai’s team found 142 by fieldwork and 3D data up to 2018. A 2018–2019 study with IBM Japan found one more with an AI model, the first at the site found that way.
- Sep 2022 – Feb 2023confirmed
An AI-guided field survey confirms 303 new figurative geoglyphs
An AI model trained on a few hundred known figures proposed 47,410 candidate spots; archaeologists ranked 1,309 and checked them on foot with Peru’s permission, in 1,440 labour hours. Before this, 430 figurative geoglyphs were known.
T1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024Abstract; Results - 12 Sep 2023confirmed
Jaime Maussan shows two small bodies to Mexico’s Congress
The journalist and self-described ufologist told lawmakers the bodies were not part of the evolution of our world. Euronews reports he testified under oath and that his claims have not been scientifically proven.
Sources disagreeCBS News says Maussan claimed the bodies were recovered near Peru’s Nazca Lines; Euronews says they were retrieved from Cusco in Peru. - 23 Sep 2024confirmed
The PNAS survey paper says the two kinds of figures served different purposes
The small relief figures sit on average 43 m from walking trails and could be seen from them; the giant line figures sit on average 34 m from the network of straight lines and trapezoids. The authors read the first as seen by individuals or small groups, the second as used by the community for ritual.
T1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024Abstract; Discussion
Branches
Go down oneA branch is only as strong as its weakest step so far. The count is how many sources back each step.
Landing strips for visitors from space
Were the lines laid out as landing strips or signals for beings arriving from the sky?
Erich von Däniken’s “Chariots of the Gods?”, first published in German in 1968, which called the Nazca plain an airfield. PBS NOVA summarised it in 1996 as alien craft gouging tracks the Nazcans then preserved. Earlier versions were not checked.
- 42.7% Americans who agree aliens visited Earth in our ancient past (Chapman, not about Nazca alone) as of 5–15 Jan 2021 T2Chapman Survey of American Fears, Jan 2021
- 365,096 YouTube views, “Ancient Aliens: Peru’s Geoglyphs Expose a Mysterious Past” (HISTORY) as of 17 Oct 2026 T3YouTube: History, “Ancient Aliens” clip
- 5,985 YouTube views, “The Alien Secrets of the Nazca Lines” (Erich von Däniken Official) as of 17 Oct 2026 T3YouTube: Erich von Däniken Official
- 109,670 English Wikipedia views of the article “Chariots of the Gods?”, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 as of 17 Oct 2026 NO TIERWikipedia page views, Oct 2025–Sep 2026
The shapes look like an airport
Von Däniken compared one pattern to a parking bay at a modern airport.
The premise: likelyTrue that it looks like one, PBS NOVA agrees. But it is about 20 feet across, too small to park any ordinary aircraft.
The plain is a long, level strip, like a runway
Von Däniken describes a strip of level ground some 37 miles long and 1 mile wide.
T3Von Däniken, “Chariots of the Gods?”pp. 16–17The premise: confirmedTrue that it is a flat desert tableland. But its surface is fragile: BBC News reports that even ministers need special footwear to walk there, and that Peru said Greenpeace activists left footprints in 2014.
T1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024IntroductionT2BBC News, 11 Dec 2014The figures only make sense seen from high above
He says the work was senseless unless it was meant for beings approaching from great heights.
T3Von Däniken, “Chariots of the Gods?”pp. 16–17The premise: unverifiedNot for the smaller figures: the 2024 survey found they were placed to be seen from the walking trails. No record read shows the giant figures were meant for anyone in the air.
T1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024DiscussionAncient people could not have done the work
He says the task would have taken decades without modern machines.
T3Von Däniken, “Chariots of the Gods?”pp. 16–17The premise: unverifiedNo record read measures the labour. The records do show the lines were made by removing surface gravel, by people whose pottery lies on them.
T1UNESCO World Heritage listingT1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024Introduction
- confirmed
Von Däniken’s 1968 book calls the lines landing strips
He asks what could have made the pre-Inca peoples build “the landing strips, at Nazca”, and says the work would have been senseless unless meant as signs to beings “approaching them from great heights”.
T3Von Däniken, “Chariots of the Gods?”pp. 16–17StartStrength so far:confirmed· 1 source on this step - confirmed
Nasca-era people made the lines and walked them
Pottery dates their use from at least the 1st century BCE. The 2024 survey found the small figures could be recognised from the trails, and the giant figures lie a few dozen metres from the network of lines people walked.
T1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024Introduction; DiscussionT1UNESCO World Heritage listing= HoldsStrength so far:confirmed· 2 sources on this step - likely
The “parking bay” shape is about 20 feet across
PBS NOVA agreed that one pattern looks like a parking bay at an airport, but measured it as only about 20 feet across, too small for almost any aircraft.
▼ WeakerStrength so far:likely· 1 source on this step - unverified
Key claim: the lines were meant as landing strips or signals for visitors from space
No tier 1 or 2 record supports it. The records show who made and used the lines, which does not by itself rule out what the makers had in mind, so the step stays Unverified, not Disproven.
T3Von Däniken, “Chariots of the Gods?”pp. 16–17T1Sakai et al., PNAS, 23 Sep 2024Discussion▼ WeakerStrength so far:unverified· 2 sources on this step
Bullshit meter
- Key claim: the lines were meant as landing strips or signals for visitors from space. Unverified.
- Key claim contradicted by tier 1? Partly. Tier-1 records show Nasca-era people made and used the lines, which contradicts the idea that they could not have. No record tests whether the lines were meant for visitors from the sky, so that part stays Unverified.
Fluff meter: possibly planted
- Can’t be traced to an original record. Absent: traced to the 1968 book.
- First appeared from new or anonymous accounts. Not measured.
- Coordinated identical wording. Not measured.
- Cited source doesn’t exist. Absent: the book exists.
- Later contradicted. Not measured.
● present · ○ absent · – not measured. Lists signals only. It never accuses anyone.
Personal interest meter
- None documented. With no sources attached there is no one to check.
“Has a documented interest” only, each one sourced. Never an implication of guilt.
Correlation meter
- Maria Reiche, in main step 4 (UNESCO) and the calendar branch. T1UNESCO World Heritage listing
- Masato Sakai’s Yamagata University team, behind both the 2019 announcement (main step 8) and the 2024 survey (main steps 9 and 11). T1Yamagata University, 15 Nov 2019
Links to other cases appear once those cases exist.
Who worked on this
This case was assembled by the site from public records. Contributions are not open yet. Nothing here is invented, so the counts are zero.
This is the first published version of the case.
Sources
- T1Masato Sakai, Akihisa Sakurai, Siyuan Lu, Jorge Olano, Conrad M. Albrecht, Hendrik F. Hamann and Marcus Freitag, “AI-accelerated Nazca survey nearly doubles the number of known figurative geoglyphs and sheds light on their purpose”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121 (40), e2407652121, published 23 Sep 2024 (Yamagata University and IBM Research). Read in the Europe PMC full text; section names are the paper’s own.. www.pnas.org · copy read: www.ebi.ac.uk
- T1“Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa”, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, property 700: brief description and Statement of Outstanding Universal Value. Date of inscription: 1994.. whc.unesco.org
- T1“143 New Geoglyphs Discovered on the Nasca Pampa and Surrounding Area”, Yamagata University news release, 15 Nov 2019 (with IBM Japan). Read in the Wayback Machine copy of 17 Nov 2019.. www.yamagata-u.ac.jp · copy read: web.archive.org
- T2“Peru: 143 new geoglyphs discovered in Nazca using artificial intelligence”, Andina (Peru’s state news agency), English edition, 19 Nov 2019. andina.pe
- T3Erich von Däniken, “Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past”, Bantam edition, February 1971 (first published in German by Econ-Verlag, 1968; English translation 1969 by Michael Heron). The claimant’s own book. Read in a scanned copy on the Internet Archive; pages from the book’s index (Nazca, pp. 16–17).. archive.org
- T2“Von Daniken’s theory: an alien airfield!”, NOVA Online, Hot Science: Alien Evidence, WGBH/PBS, © 1996. www.pbs.org
- T2“Reicher’s theory: an astronomical calendar!”, NOVA Online, Hot Science: Alien Activity, WGBH/PBS, © 1996 (the page spells Maria Reiche’s name “Reicher”). www.pbs.org
- T2“Using (and misusing) evidence: scale makes a difference”, NOVA Online, Hot Science: Alien Activity, WGBH/PBS, © 1996. www.pbs.org
- T2“Greenpeace sorry for Nazca lines stunt in Peru”, BBC News, 11 Dec 2014. www.bbc.com
- T3“Special Report: Unearthing Nazca”, Gaia, YouTube, published 20 Jun 2017 (the promoter’s own video, as a record of its claim). www.youtube.com
- T1Boletín UNAM-DGCS-700xc, 13 Sep 2023: the Institute of Physics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico reissues its statement of 12 Sep 2017 on the radiocarbon dating of the Peruvian “mummies” by its LEMA laboratory (in Spanish). www.dgcs.unam.mx
- T2“1,000-year-old fossils of ‘alien’ corpses displayed in Mexico’s Congress as UFO expert testifies”, Euronews, 13 Sep 2023. www.euronews.com
- T2“‘Aliens’ found in Peru are actually dolls made of bones, forensic experts declare”, CBS News, 12 Jan 2024 (citing Reuters and the Associated Press). www.cbsnews.com
- T2“Paranormal America in 2020/21”, Chapman University Survey of American Fears, Wave 7, SSRS Probability Panel, n=1,035, fielded 5–15 Jan 2021, margin of error ±3.9%. blogs.chapman.edu
- T3“Ancient Aliens: Peru’s Geoglyphs Expose a Mysterious Past (Season 17)”, HISTORY, YouTube, published 12 Aug 2021. www.youtube.com
- T3“The Alien Secrets of the Nazca Lines | Erich von Däniken”, Erich von Däniken Official, YouTube, published 18 Sep 2025. www.youtube.com
- T3“Are Tridactyl Mummies Aliens or Something Else?”, JRE Clips (from JRE #2372 with Garry Nolan), YouTube, published 28 Aug 2025. www.youtube.com
- T3“Mummy mystery: UFO proof or hoax? Ross Coulthart investigates | Reality Check”, NewsNation, YouTube, published 13 Mar 2026. www.youtube.com
- T3“History’s Greatest Mysteries: Are Peruvian Mummies Connected to the Nazca Lines?! (Season 4)”, HISTORY, YouTube, published 30 Jun 2023. www.youtube.com
- NO TIEROur own measurement: monthly user page views of English Wikipedia articles from the Wikimedia pageviews API, summed over the 12 months October 2025 to September 2026, read on 17 Oct 2026. Interest in a topic, not belief in a theory. Not a source tier.