NAZCA DESERT, Peru (Reuters) — Amazing discoveries continue to be made among the famed Nazca Lines of southern Peru, and archeologists recently revealed the never-before-seen figure of a giant cat etched into a hillside in the desert.
Drone footage provides a bird’s-eye view of the 121-feet-long figure made by creating furrows in the hillsides and piling up rocks, according to Johny Isla, a geologist at Peru’s ministry of culture.
Peruvian archeologists restored the lines to their former glory after 2,000 years of erosion had left them hidden from view.
The geoglyphs created by the Nazca and Paracas cultures are striking reminders of Peru’s rich pre-Columbian history and are considered archaeological enigmas, as no one knows for sure why they were drawn and for how long.
Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994, the Nazca Lines have faced damage by squatters looking for land to settle on and motorists veering off a nearby highway.