Maria Reiche

Maria Reiche
Maria Reiche in 1986
Born(1903-05-15)15 May 1903
Dresden, German Empire
Died8 June 1998(1998-06-08) (aged 95)
Santiago de Surco, Lima, Peru
Alma materDresden Technical University
Known forNazca Lines
Scientific career
FieldsArchaeology

Maria Reiche Grosse-Neumann[1] (15 May 1903 – 8 June 1998) was a German-born Peruvian mathematician, archaeologist, and technical translator. She is known for her research into the Nazca Lines, which she first saw in 1941[2] together with American historian Paul Kosok. Known as the "Lady of the Lines", Reiche made the documentation, preservation and public dissemination of the Nazca Lines her life's work.[2]

She was widely recognized as the curator of the lines and lived nearby to protect them. She received recognition as Doctor Honoris Causa by the National University of San Marcos and the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería in Lima. Reiche helped gain national and international attention for the Nazca Lines; Peru established protection, and they were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.[3]

Following her death, her former home in Nazca was converted into a museum, the Museo Maria Reiche. She is honored as the namesake of Maria Reiche Neuman Airport in Nazca, the Park Maria Reiche in Miraflores[4] and of some fifty schools and other institutions in Peru.[citation needed] The 115th anniversary of her birth was commemorated with a Google Doodle in May 2018.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ "Obituary: Maria Reiche". Independent.co.uk. 22 October 2011.
  2. ^ a b Thomas, Robert McG Jr. (15 June 1998). "Maria Reiche, 95, Keeper of an Ancient Peruvian Puzzle, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  3. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa". whc.unesco.org. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  4. ^ Las figuras enigmáticas de las Pampas de Nasca, vuelven a brillar en el Parque María Reiche de Miraflores. miraflores.gob.pe, 2020-09-07. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  5. ^ Smith, Kiona N. "Tuesday's Google Doodle Celebrates Nazca Line Archaeologist Maria Reiche". Forbes. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Today's Google Doodle celebrates the scientist who studied the mysterious desert lines of Peru". The Verge. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Maria Reiche's 115th Birthday". Google Doodles Archive. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.