Nasca - El Mono
A jungle creature with a spiralling tail and nine fingers, drawn in desert stone far from its home
Nazca, Ica, Peru
At A Glance
- Coordinates
- -14.7067, -75.1382
- Suggested Duration
- Part of flight.
- Access
- Nazca airport.
Pilgrim Tips
- Nazca airport.
- Sun protection.
- From aircraft.
- Ground access prohibited.
Overview
The Monkey geoglyph measures ninety-three by fifty-eight metres and is instantly recognisable by its spiralling tail and distinctive nine-fingered hands. Monkeys are not native to the coastal desert but to the Amazonian jungle, making this figure evidence of cultural connections between the Nazca and interior peoples.
The Monkey geoglyph measures ninety-three by fifty-eight metres and is instantly recognisable by its spiralling tail and distinctive nine-fingered hands. Monkeys are not native to the coastal desert but to the Amazonian jungle, making this figure evidence of cultural connections between the Nazca and interior peoples.
The monkey's spiralling tail — one of the most distinctive features of any Nazca geoglyph — has been interpreted as a symbol of cyclical time or as a reference to spiral patterns found in Nazca pottery. The nine fingers (rather than ten) may carry numerological significance within Nazca cosmology, though this remains speculative. Its Amazonian origins suggest trade routes and cultural exchange that spanned ecological zones.
Part of Líneas de Nazca.
Context And Lineage
Part of the Líneas de Nazca UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Part of Nazca sacred landscape with Amazon connections.
Created by Nazca and Paracas cultures.
Paul Kosok
First aerial researcher
Maria Reiche
Conservator
Why This Place Is Sacred
The monkey's spiralling tail is the most mesmerising single element in the entire Nazca corpus.
The monkey's spiralling tail is the most mesmerising single element in the entire Nazca corpus. It coils inward with the precision of a nautilus shell, each ring tighter than the last, drawing the eye toward a centre that never arrives. In a landscape of straight lines and angular geometry, this spiral introduces a different logic — cyclical, recursive, turning back on itself. The tail suggests that the Nazca understood time as something that curves.
Part of Nazca sacred landscape, possibly connected to Amazon cosmological traditions.
Created between 500 BC and 500 AD. Now one of the most recognised Nazca geoglyphs globally.
Traditions And Practice
No active ceremonies.
Ritual processions.
Conservation.
Follow the spiral. Count the fingers.
Nazca culture religion
HistoricalThe monkey connects coastal and jungle worlds.
Ritual practices.
Experience And Perspectives
One of the most frequently photographed geoglyphs.
The Monkey is one of the most frequently photographed geoglyphs, its spiralling tail and compact body making it immediately identifiable from the air. The nine-fingered hands add an element of strangeness that resists easy interpretation. The figure's proportions create a sense of playfulness rare among the Nazca geoglyphs, which tend toward solemnity.
Follow the spiral of the tail. It will pull your eye inward. Then look at the hands — count the fingers.
The Monkey introduces playfulness, mystery, and cyclical time.
Suggests Amazon-coast cultural networks.
No living tradition.
The spiral has attracted esoteric interest.
Nine-finger significance remains open.
Visit Planning
Visible during scenic flights. 93 by 58 metres.
Nazca airport.
Nazca town.
UNESCO site. Leave no trace.
Observe from air only.
Sun protection.
From aircraft.
None.
Walking prohibited
Sacred Cluster
Nearby sacred places create the location cluster described in the growth plan. This block is intentionally crawlable and links into the wider regional graph.
