The Paracas Candelabra, also called the Candelabra of the Andes, or El Candelabro (the Trident), is a well-known prehistoric geoglyph found on the northern face of the Paracas Peninsula at Pisco Bay in Peru.[1] Pottery found nearby has been radio carbon dated to 200 BCE, the time of the Paracas culture.[2] The design is cut two feet (0.61 m) into the soil, with stones possibly from a later date placed around it. The figure is 600 feet (180 meters) tall, large enough to be seen 12 miles (19.3 km) at sea.[2]
In 2016, it was designated as a national heritage site by Peru, with Peruvian law dictating a jail term of between three and six years for anyone damaging any archaeological monument.[3]
Peruvian archaeologist Maria Reiche measured the geoglyph and found Paracas style pottery which she dated to around 200 BCE. The geoglyph is related to the Nazca lines.[4]
- ^ Papalexandrou, Nassos. CONSTRUCTED LANDSCAPES (Vol 5 2007 ed.). Stanford Journal of Archaeology. p. 176. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ a b Jennifer Nalewicki. "Where to See Five of the Planet's Most Mysterious Geoglyphs". Smithsonian Magazine.
- ^ "Tourists trample all over protected, prehistoric Peruvian hill carving". France24. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ Mendoza, Ana Maria Cogorno. "The Nazca Lines: A Life's Work". World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12 July 2024.