Sajama lines

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The Sajama Lines in western Bolivia are a network of thousands (possibly tens of thousands) of almost perfectly laid out linear paths that have been laid in the ground by the indigenous people near the Sajama volcano for more than 3000 years . They form a network-like system that covers a region of the Bolivian Altiplano .

Map section of the Sajama lines

Characteristics

Recent research has revealed that this network of lines covers an area of ​​22,525 square kilometers, an area around fifteen times the size of the famous Nazca Lines in Peru . It is estimated that the lines have a total length of about 16,000 kilometers, so that the Sajama Lines can be considered the largest archaeological site in the Andes and the world's largest work of art .

The lines were created by scratching aside the vegetation and the dark surface layer of soil and weathered rock , exposing the lighter layers of soil below. As with the Nazca lines, some of which have the shape of animal bodies, it is still largely unclear for what purpose the lines were laid out and how the high precision of the system could be achieved.

Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania state:

“While many of these cultic lines extend ten to twenty kilometers (or more) in length, they all have a remarkable straightness, regardless of the rough topography and natural obstacles. The sheer number and length of these lines can often hardly be determined from the ground, but from the air or from favorable vantage points they are overwhelming. "
( While many of these sacred lines extend as far as ten or twenty kilometers (and perhaps further) , they all seem to maintain a remarkable straightness despite rugged topography and natural obstacles. The sheer number and length of these lines is often difficult to perceive from ground level, but from the air or hilltop vantage points, they are stunning. )

Many speculations assume that the lines were originally laid out by the indigenous population as sacred pilgrimage routes. The network of radiating lines is applied at nodes traversed by Huaca - shrines , Chullpa - tombs and villages , so that this area a unique culture landscape represents. Although the region is now sparsely populated, some of the lines still serve as footpaths .

Analysis and conservation

The first mention of the Sajama lines in English can be found as a short note in a travelogue by Aimé Félix Tschiffely from 1932. In the same decade, the anthropologist Alfred Métraux drew the attention of science to the lines and similar structures when he was doing ethnographic field research operated over the Aymara and Chipaya peoples of the Carangas region.

In the 1970s the British author and filmmaker Tony Morrison reported on this system of sacred lines and paths. More recently, the Sajama Lines have been studied, mapped, and stored in a database by the New York Landmarks Foundation to protect the landscape from the threat of erosion , uncontrolled internationally funded development, local tourism, and other hazards posed by the lack of one Management plan could threaten.

The Landmarks Foundation is working with the University of Pennsylvania on the so-called "Tierra Sajama Project", in which the Sajama lines are mapped, described and analyzed with the help of the geographic information system GIS and other analytical digital media, along with the associated structures, in order to generate strategies for to develop the protection and maintenance of the lines.
The Tierra Sajama Project

  • created a computer database of maps and pertinent information on the lines, local vegetation and topography
  • analyzed and interpreted the distribution and significance of various land features such as summit shrines and religious buildings in order to identify possible connections with the course of the lines
  • developed proposals for a long-term preservation of the Sajama lines and an improved appreciation of this sacred landscape.

According to the Tierra Sajama Group, “the Sajama lines are an exceptional example of human achievement and spiritual expression. With appropriate protection and management, responsible development, protection against erosion and vandalism , the Sajama Lines can be preserved in such a way that tourists from all over the world as well as the local population can benefit from them ”( The Sajama Lines are extraordinary examples of human achievement and spiritual expression. With proper preservation and management, responsible development, erosion prevention and measures to minimize vandalism the Sajama Lines can be protected to the benefit of tourists from all over the world as well as the local people )

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Project Sajama by the Landmarks Foundation ( English )
  2. ↑ a b c d The Sajama Lines University of Pennsylvania (accessed January 14, 2007)

Selected literature

  • Aveni, Anthony. Between the Lines: The Mystery of the Giant Ground Drawings of Ancient Nasca , Peru. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 2000 ( English )
  • Bauer, Brian. The Sacred Landscape of the Inca: The Cusco Ceque System. University of Texas Press, Austin, 1998. ( English )

Web links

See also