Pigs and squatters threaten Peru's Nazca lines

well it looks as if pig farmers in peru have little concern about their heritage.

Pigs and squatters threaten Peru's Nazca lines

i can understand squatting and wanting to have a life, but they have to know that the site is almost sacred site , let a lone a historical site to the world.

this qoute from their leader.

The head of the squatter settlement, Jesus Arias, denies his community has hurt the area. "It isn't archeological to me. There was no cemetery there, and there are no lines from Nazca culture either.

well that may be so, but i seem to remember seeing a show where there have been bones and skull found in the area. but these folks should know that this was going to cause a problem and that they are not going to be allowed to stay.

So anytime somebody draws a giant picture on the Earth we should preserve it forever instead of using the land for something good like producing food?

Originally posted by jeantherapy
So anytime somebody draws a giant picture on the Earth we should preserve it forever instead of using the land for something good like producing food?

No, but preserving ancient sites is fairly important, wouldnt you say?

reply to post by captaintyinknots


If there is so much land available for food production why are they having to use this space?

Originally posted by jeantherapy
reply to post by captaintyinknots

 

If there is so much land available for food production why are they having to use this space?

I'm not sure what you are getting at here...but land to farm isnt that scarce.

I'll ask again...do you not consider it important to preserve ancient sites?

Not especially, though it depends on the site. I like petroglyphs, but for instance I've never liked cemetaries. I drive by and just think "I don't want to be so selfish as to be preventing people from using the land after I've died" If Peru has plenty of farmland to spare their gov or whoever else wants to protect these sites should relocate these guys. But yeah I think it sucks not to be able to farm certain land because somebody drew a monkey there thousands of years ago.

Originally posted by jeantherapy
Not especially, though it depends on the site. I like petroglyphs, but for instance I've never liked cemetaries. I drive by and just think "I don't want to be so selfish as to be preventing people from using the land after I've died" If Peru has plenty of farmland to spare their gov or whoever else wants to protect these sites should relocate these guys. But yeah I think it sucks not to be able to farm certain land because somebody drew a monkey there thousands of years ago.

Fair enough I guess. We just see this differently I think. Personally, when it comes to ancient sites like this, I think it is VERY important to preserve them. They are a link to our unknown past. There is much to learn from them, and even more to be forgotten by destroying them.

I agree that we should learn as much as possible from these sites, but as I understand it after all this time the exact purpose of these lines is still a mystery? What new evidence buried there could be uncovered? I do cherish my own art projects but I don't expect that after my death people will feel compelled to preserve them, especially if they will come between a person and his meal.

reply to post by jeantherapy


no not really, but when a top of a mountain is shaved off and giant figures, and lines drawn on top with no explanation given why. i think it needs to be studied. and figured out.

Originally posted by jeantherapy
I agree that we should learn as much as possible from these sites, but as I understand it after all this time the exact purpose of these lines is still a mystery? What new evidence buried there could be uncovered? I do cherish my own art projects but I don't expect that after my death people will feel compelled to preserve them, especially if they will come between a person and his meal.

Agreed, but this is more than just art. This type of topagraphical manipulation *SHOULD* have been next to impossible back then. So, imho, we need to find out how, and why, they did it.

reply to post by captaintyinknots


But with no real evidence how can you say it is not art? If we died out and some creatures saw this: farm3.static.flickr.com...

would they be scratching their heads trying to discover the meaning of why it was built? There is no meaning, it's just art in this case. There are many other examples of this.

Originally posted by jeantherapy
reply to post by captaintyinknots

 

But with no real evidence how can you say it is not art? If we died out and some creatures saw this: farm3.static.flickr.com...

would they be scratching their heads trying to discover the meaning of why it was built? There is no meaning, it's just art in this case. There are many other examples of this.

I said it is not JUST art. It is most definitely art. The things we need to learn are how they did it, and why. I mean, they leveled off the top of a mountain for crying out loud.

Yes, and ancient people also built pyramids and megaliths. We have heard accounts of emperors and pharaohs commissioning projects for no reason other than to satisfy their ego. Sometimes the reasons people have for doing things aren't as profound as you might hope.

Originally posted by jeantherapy
Yes, and ancient people also built pyramids and megaliths. We have heard accounts of emperors and pharaohs commissioning projects for no reason other than to satisfy their ego. Sometimes the reasons people have for doing things aren't as profound as you might hope.

You are correct, the reason it was done *MAY* not be profound. *HOW* they did it, however, certainly is.

I guess what I'm saying is this: What is the statute of limitations on this kind of thing? How long can we give the scientists before we say 'okay maybe it's time to move on' ? Shall we ponder the nazca lines indefinitely? And could it be that is was done over a long period of time by grueling manual labour? Slave labour even?

Originally posted by jeantherapy
I guess what I'm saying is this: What is the statute of limitations on this kind of thing? How long can we give the scientists before we say 'okay maybe it's time to move on' ? Shall we ponder the nazca lines indefinitely? And could it be that is was done over a long period of time by grueling manual labour? Slave labour even?

I get your point, I really do, I simply look at it like this:
Would you knock down stonehenge for farm land, even though there is hundreds of acres available on all sides of it?

The answer to your question is a clear no, given the way it's phrased. But one thing I consider is this: almost everyplace we inhabit was built on top of a space that somebody else used to find sacred for some reason or another. But ultimately what these guys are supposedly doing to the nazca lines offends me less than when I see a lovely undisturbed piece of land get completely tore up to build condos which then sit empty because not enough people can afford to live there. (Yes, this is happening in Milwaukee)

I just wanted to note that it is unlikely that the issue has to do with people wanting to farm that land. One of the reasons that the Nazca lines are still here after so long is due to the lack of wind and rain in the area. The average rainfall for the Nazca desert is less than an inch a year, so in effect the area is in a constant very stable drought.

Attempting to farm the land would be pretty much a lost cause unless one found a way bring water to the region and then set up irrigation equipment.

Originally posted by Pixiefyre
I just wanted to note that it is unlikely that the issue has to do with people wanting to farm that land. One of the reasons that the Nazca lines are still here after so long is due to the lack of wind and rain in the area. The average rainfall for the Nazca desert is less than an inch a year, so in effect the area is in a constant very stable drought.

Attempting to farm the land would be pretty much a lost cause unless one found a way bring water to the region and then set up irrigation equipment.

Can you farm pigs there?

Originally posted by jeantherapy

Can you farm pigs there?

I wouldn't think you could effectively. With the prospects of growing food for them as almost nil, the farmer would need to purchase feed to maintain his animals. Additionally pigs do not have sweat glands they need to be provided with water or mud to control their body temperatures.

So again anyone trying to farm in the Nazca desert either crops or pigs would be faced with the need to import water from some outlying area.