“Incredible Discovery! Artificial Intelligence Unveils 303 New Figures in Nazca that Could Rewrite History”
Unique conditions of the Nazca Desert
The Nazca Desert has particular climatic conditions that have favored the preservation of these figures. With an extension of 500 square kilometers and an extremely dry climate, the lack of rain and the absence of wind have allowed these lines and figures to survive through the centuries. The creation of the geoglyphs involved lifting the superficial layer of small reddish stones, exposing a yellowish layer that shaped the designs.
The geoglyphs are divided into two main groups. One of them consists of large geometric figures and straight lines, some several kilometers long and others with an average size of 90 meters. On the other hand, there are relief-type geoglyphs, smaller and with more detailed shapes.
The contribution of artificial intelligence to the discovery
AI has played a key role in this recent breakthrough. Led by the scientist Masato Sakai, from the University of Yamagata, the research team used a system developed by IBM to analyze high-resolution images of the Nazca Desert, obtained from airplanes and satellites. The task of identifying figures in these images would have taken years if done manually. However, AI was able to propose more than a thousand candidates in a matter of months, of which archaeologists confirmed the existence of 303 new geoglyphs, all of them relief-type.
According to Sakai, the main advantage of using artificial intelligence is the . The Nazca Desert is a huge area covering more than 400 square kilometers, and although the northern part has been intensively studied, many relief-type figures had gone unnoticed in the rest of the desert due to their small size and deterioration caused by the passage of time.
Patterns and possible functions of the geoglyphs
The increasing number of discovered figures has allowed researchers to establish patterns and differences between the types of geoglyphs. Most of the large geoglyphs represent wild animals and plants, while relief-type ones mostly show human figures or elements modified by humans, such as domesticated animals and decapitated heads. According to the study’s authors, these elements were part of scenes of human sacrifices.
The location of these figures also provides clues about their purpose. Relief-type geoglyphs are usually found near trails, suggesting that they were created to be observed by those traveling on those paths. On the other hand, the large linear geoglyphs appear near ceremonial routes leading to the ceremonial center of Cahuachi, a place of spiritual importance for the Nazca culture. These figures could have been used as ritual stops during pilgrimages to this center.
