Owlman of the Nazca Lines in Peru

© Laura Fafone/Getty Images

Owlman of the Nazca Lines in Peru

If you can see the Owlman geoglyph here in the coastal foothills of the Peruvian Andes, you’re probably taking an aerial tour of the Nazca Lines or are looking down from one of the surrounding hills. There are hundreds of geometric patterns and representational figures (including spiders, birds, and monkeys) carved by the ancient Nazca people into the hillsides here. Some of the abstract lines span miles. The Owlman is 98 feet tall, while other figures are as long as football fields, and not easily noticeable from the ground. Scientists have offered numerous theories for why the Nazca drew these massive pictures, but no theory has really caught on. Some observers call this humanoid figure ‘The Astronaut.’ [Insert ‘Twilight Zone’ theme here.]