Nazca Lines

Shhh, can you keep a secret. I am a giant drawing, hiding on the ground. You can't see all of me unless you fly high, high up like a bird. I have a monkey with a long, swirly tail. I have a spider with eight long legs. I have a hummingbird with wings ready to fly. I am made of long, long lines in the sand. I am the Nazca Lines, and I live in the warm, sandy desert of Peru. It is my special home, and I have been here for a very long time, waiting for you to find me.

A long, long, long time ago, special people called the Nazca people made me. This was between the years 500 BCE and 500 CE. They did not use crayons or paint. They used their hands. They carefully moved away the dark, red rocks on the ground. Poof. Underneath was the light, bright sand. It was like drawing a picture by taking things away. They made me so big and clear so that their gods, way up in the sky, could look down and see my beautiful shapes. I was a special hello to the sky and a beautiful map on the ground.

For many, many sleepy years, I was a secret just for the birds. They would fly over my spider and my monkey and see my whole picture. But people on the ground could not see me. Then one day, something new flew in the sky. It was an airplane. In the 1920s, people flying high above saw me for the very first time. What a surprise. They were so happy. I am still here today, a giant picture in the sand. I show everyone that a simple line can make a big, beautiful piece of art that helps you dream.