You might have heard of the Nazca Lines before. They’re large geoglyphs that are found in Peru, and they date back thousands of years.

These designs usually feature animals or other natural things. However, there is a new one that has been found by archaeologists from the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, and it features a giant cat outline drawn into a sandy hill in the Pampa de Nazca.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

As cool as it might be, cat enthusiasts might be disappointed as Peru’s Ministry of Culture said in a press release that the figure is already barely visible, and could potentially disappear because of its location. It is situated on a pretty steep hill, meaning that it’s subject to natural erosion.

The line work features a single cat, with its body featured in profile form while its head is front facing. These lines of the geoglyph measure between 30 and 40 cm in width. The History Defined Twitter account shared a photo of the lines so you can see for yourself:

Archaeologists believe that the cat was made by the Paracas people, an Andean culture that lived between the years, 800 BCE and 100 BCE. While it’s featured on the hill, it’s actually pretty common for representations of cats to make appearances within the ceramic and textile makings of the Paracas people.

According to BBC, Johny Isla, Peru’s chief archaeologist for the Nazca lines, explained, “We know that from comparing iconographies. Paracas textiles, for example, show birds, cats and people that are easily comparable to these geoglyphs.”

Photo: Twitter/@historydefined

How cool is this geoglyph? What do you think of these cat designs? Have you ever travelled to see the different creations of Peru’s Pampa de Nazca? Let us know!
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