UNESCO World Heritage Site

Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa

Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa is a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site in Peru, inscribed in 1994.

Located in the arid Peruvian coastal plain, some 400 km south of Lima, the geoglyphs of Nasca and the pampas of Jumana cover about 450 km2 . These lines, which were scratched on the surface of the ground between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500, are among archaeology's greatest enigmas beca

Located in the arid Peruvian coastal plain, some 400 km south of Lima, the geoglyphs of Nasca and the pampas of Jumana cover about 450 km2 . These lines, which were scratched on the surface of the ground between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500, are among archaeology's greatest enigmas because of their quantity, nature, size and continuity. The geoglyphs depict living creatures, stylized plants and imaginary beings, as well as geometric figures several kilometres long. They are believed to have had ritual astronomical functions.

Country
Peru
Region
South America
Category
Cultural
Inscribed
1994
UNESCO reference
700
Area
75,358.47 ha

View the official UNESCO listing

Counts are based on Zikzak's current UNESCO World Heritage dataset, sourced from UNESCO. Last updated 7 August 2026. UNESCO insights

Collections featuring Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa

More UNESCO sites in Peru