María Reiche

Hello! My name is María Reiche. My story begins not in the desert sands of Peru, but in a city in Germany called Dresden, where I was born on May 15th, 1903. As a young girl, I was fascinated by two things: mathematics and the stars in the night sky. I loved how numbers could solve puzzles and how the constellations seemed to hold ancient secrets. I went on to study mathematics, physics, and geography at the university. I didn't know it then, but this love for numbers and patterns would lead me on the greatest adventure of my life, taking me far away from my home to a place of wonder and mystery.

In 1932, I decided to travel to a new country and chose the beautiful nation of Peru in South America. At first, I supported myself by working as a teacher and a translator, jobs that allowed me to learn about the people and culture around me. Then, one day in 1941, my life changed forever. I met an American historian named Paul Kosok who was studying something incredible in the desert. He took me to a place called the Nazca desert plain and showed me giant lines and pictures carved into the ground. There were hummingbirds, monkeys, and spiders so large you could only truly see them from high up in the sky. Paul believed they were the 'largest astronomy book in the world.' I was completely captivated. I knew right then that I had to understand the mystery of these lines.

Starting around 1946, I made a life-changing decision: I moved to the desert to be close to the lines I was studying. Life there was not easy. The sun was very hot, the wind was strong, and I lived in a very small hut with very few possessions. But I was determined to uncover the secrets of the Nazca. Every day, I would go out with my ladder, my measuring tape, and a simple broom. I used the broom to gently sweep away the dark rocks and dust that had covered the lines for centuries, revealing the lighter-colored ground underneath. I would climb my ladder to get a better view, carefully measuring every line and shape. For many years, I used my own money from my teaching jobs to pay for my research. The local people soon began calling me the 'Lady of the Lines' because I was always out there, protecting and studying the ancient drawings.

After years of careful measuring and mapping, I began to form a clearer picture of what the ancient Nazca people were doing. I continued Paul Kosok's work and found more evidence to support his theory. I became convinced that the lines were a giant astronomical calendar. I discovered that certain lines pointed directly to where the sun would rise or set on important days, like the winter and summer solstices. These were the days that likely told the Nazca people when to plant their crops and when to harvest them. I also theorized that the enormous animal figures, like the monkey and the spider, might have represented constellations in the sky. It was like a secret code left by people who lived almost two thousand years ago, and I was helping to read it for the modern world.

As time went on, I realized my most important job was not just to study the lines, but to protect them. A new highway, the Pan-American Highway, was built right through the desert, even cutting one of the figures in half. I was horrified to see how people and cars were damaging the delicate drawings. I spent a lot of my time and energy talking to the government and anyone who would listen, explaining how important this ancient treasure was. I even used my own money to hire guards to help keep people off the fragile ground. My hard work eventually paid off. The area was given protection, and in 1994, the Nazca Lines were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meaning they are protected for everyone in the world. To help people see the lines without walking on them, I also helped pay for a viewing tower to be built nearby.

I fell so in love with Peru and its incredible history that I became a Peruvian citizen in 1992. I spent over fifty years of my life in the desert, working to understand and save the Nazca Lines. I lived to be 95 years old, and when my time on Earth was done, I was laid to rest near the lines that I loved so much. Today, my old home in the desert has been turned into a museum, and people still remember me as the 'Lady of the Lines.' My greatest hope was that these amazing drawings would be preserved forever. Because of my work, this giant, mysterious history book in the sand can still be read by people from all over the world.