The massive geoglyphs located in the Sechura Desert of Peru are among the most enigmatic pieces of prehistoric art on Earth. The images range from 0.4 to 1.1 kilometers in size, so massive that they can only be seen in full from an aerial view, and depict a wide range of subjects. While the majority of the imagery consist of simple geometric figures, others feature large zoomorphic designs including a condor, serpent, monkey, spider, orca, and several humanoid figures. The significance of these glyphs has been debated for decades. Some anthropologists believe they were created by the Nazca people for religious purposes, serving as symbols representing the deities worshiped by the Nazca people when they conducted rituals. Others have speculated that they acted as an astronomical calendar, with each figure depicting a different constellation. Recent discoveries, which have been kept from the public at large, now point to the true purpose the glyphs served.
During an archaeological expedition, the exploration of a dwelling reportedly belonging to a prominent shaman revealed a hidden room containing a cache of illustrated pottery and other ceramic figures. These pieces, dated to have been first made around 650 CE, tell a very disturbing story. It is known that the Nazca were a highly spiritual culture. Their shamans would frequently partake in hallucinogenic substances to induce visions that would allow them to commune with the gods of nature and channel their powers for healing, divination, or blessings in agriculture. While the story presented by the figurines is incomplete, from what has been deciphered it can be assumed that during one of these visions, something went wrong. The shaman unexpectedly died during the ritual, and the gargantuan deities with which it had been communing with materialized in the physical world.
The exact nature that caused this phenomenon to occur remains unknown; at best estimate it is assumed that an unintended surge of latent psionic energy created an extradimensional rift which allowed the entities to pass through, killing the shaman in the process. Regardless of the exact impetus, the “gods” which the Nazca worshipped were now presented before them as tangible living beings. However, these entities were far from benevolent. They demanded extreme tributes, including human sacrifice, in return for good weather and farming conditions. The entities would devour their still-living sacrifices feet first, leaving only skulls stripped of flesh and muscle which they ordered the tribespeople to arrange in ceremonial patterns as a testament to their glory. The beings did keep their word by providing favorable a favorable farming climate, but it ultimately proved irrelevant as they demanded a sizable portion of every harvest, leaving barely enough for the people to feed themselves. Regularly these colossal creatures would slaughter tribespeople unprovoked, simply for their amusement. The rampant barbarism and lack of food caused the Nazca population to fall significantly, threatening to wipe them out completely.
Eventually, the Nazca grew tired of the entities’ wanton murder and oppression and attempted a rebellion, a task which proved exceedingly difficult. Their weaponry had no effect on the beasts, nor did any of their magics. Desperate for aid, they sent messengers to neighboring tribes pleading for assistance. Salvation came when a shaman of the Moche civilization offered to share some of his peoples’ more advanced rituals. Using what they had learned, the Nazca lured the titans into the Sechura desert under pretense of a mass sacrifice. Once the creatures were out in the arid plains, the spell was cast. In moments, the gods that had tormented the tribe for so long became still and dormant. It was impossible to kill them, but they could be placed in a state of suspended animation, incapable of doing any more harm.
With the gods defeated, the Nazca embarked on their next endeavor to forever rid themselves of the colossal beasts. Through a long, arduous process, the sands of the Sechua were excavated, creating massive graves which the beasts were deposited into and buried. Large, shallow incisions were created as markers to indicate which creature occupied which makeshift burial plot, along with a number of symbols which the Moche shaman had informed them would keep the incapacitating effects of the ritual continuously active. Thus the famous Nazca lines were created, serving as both a marker of victory over the creatures that brutalized the Nazca, and a warning to outsiders about what lay beneath the sand.
This may sound like an elaborate myth celebrating the triumph and ingenuity of humanity over the gods, but after the tale was deciphered, an expedition was carried out to ascertain if there was any validity. During a survey of the Sechura desert, geophysical technology including ground-penetrating radar and thermal imaging revealed that massive biological entities are indeed present beneath each glyph. They all display signs of life, and some have shown subtle movements. Environmental alterations such as erosion brought on by climate change and human interference have caused several of the sealing glyphs to sustain damage, weakening their efficacy. Stricter preservation measures have been enacted, but if the damage to the glyphs continues, it is highly probable that the colossal creatures may one day awaken and return to the surface.
Nice start and am looking forward to more
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. I hope to have the next one up soon.
This is the start of a new series I’m working on inspired by the SCP Wiki and the works of online horror artists like Trevor Henderson and Eduardo Valdés-Hevia. Hope you all enjoy, and expect to see more PEPs in the future.