Palpa Lines

The geoglyphs around Palpa predate most of the Nazca lines by several centuries, made by the Paracas culture from roughly 400 BC, and they differ in two useful ways. They are placed on hillsides rather than on the flat pampa, which means they can be seen from the ground - the Nazca figures generally cannot - and many of them are anthropomorphic: standing figures with headdresses, the group known as the Familia Real de Paracas, and others including owl-headed and animal forms. Survey work using drones and satellite imagery since 2018 has added several hundred previously unrecorded figures around Palpa, some of them badly eroded. The area is far less visited than Nazca despite being on the same highway, and there is a viewpoint and small site infrastructure. Some Nazca overflights include Palpa in the route.

What's there

• The hillside placement - figures on slopes, visible from ground level.
• The human figures - the Paracas royal family group and other standing forms.
• The earlier date - from around 400 BC, centuries before most Nazca work.
• The recent finds - hundreds of figures added by drone survey since 2018.

When to go

Year-round; morning or late afternoon light shows the figures best. One to two hours at the roadside sites; longer if taking a flight that includes them.

What to expect

The figures are eroded and much fainter than Nazca photographs suggest - low sun is essential. Facilities are minimal. Some are on private land with no access. Overflights that include Palpa are longer and cost more.

Nearby

Nazca and its lines are south; Ica is north on the same highway.

Key facts