Nasca - El Pelícano
Nearly three hundred metres of zigzagging neck — the longest figurative geoglyph and the most liquid in its geometry
Nazca, Ica, Peru
At A Glance
- Coordinates
- -14.7120, -75.1350
- Suggested Duration
- Part of flight.
- Access
- Nazca airport.
Pilgrim Tips
- Nazca airport.
- Sun protection.
- From aircraft.
- Ground access prohibited.
Overview
At approximately two hundred and eighty-five metres, the Pelican is one of the longest figurative geoglyphs. Its zigzagging neck is the most dynamic element in the Nazca corpus.
At approximately two hundred and eighty-five metres, the Pelican (also called the Alcatraz, Phoenix, or Flamingo) is one of the longest figurative geoglyphs. Its stunted winged body gives way to a lengthy zigzagging neck ending in a narrow head and beak.
The zigzagging neck may represent the bird's fishing motion or carry symbolic meaning related to water's sinuous paths.
Part of Líneas de Nazca.
Context And Lineage
Part of the Líneas de Nazca.
Water worship.
Nazca and Paracas cultures.
Paul Kosok
First aerial researcher
Why This Place Is Sacred
A line that refuses to be straight in a landscape of straight lines.
The Pelican's neck zigzags across the desert for hundreds of metres, a line that refuses to be straight in a landscape dominated by straight lines. The sinuous path invokes water itself — the meandering of rivers, the curving of coastlines. The longest figurative geoglyph is also the most liquid in its geometry.
Part of water worship.
Created between 500 BC and 500 AD.
Traditions And Practice
No active ceremonies.
Ritual processions.
Conservation.
Follow the neck.
Nazca culture religion
HistoricalWater symbolism.
Water worship.
Experience And Perspectives
Dramatic length unfolds beneath the aircraft.
The zigzagging neck unfolds beneath the aircraft like a river drawn on the desert floor. The figure reveals itself sequentially.
Follow the neck. Experience it as motion, not image.
Liquid geometry in the desert.
Coastal seabird.
No living tradition.
N/A.
Species debated.
Visit Planning
285 metres. Scenic flights.
Nazca airport.
Nazca town.
UNESCO site.
Observe from air.
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.
