The fact that the Nazca Lines figures can only be seen from the air has given rise to extraordinary theories about their function and creators.
Most ridiculous are von Daniken's interpretations of them as runways and landing indicators for extra-terrestrial beings: to support his theories von Daniken wilfully distorted the evidence.
Others have suggested balloons were used to view the figures, but Nazca technology and local weather conditions make this unlikely. We are forced to accept that the Nazca people cannot have seen their finished results, although they may well have intended their gods to do so.
Shamans (priests of folk religion), thought to quit their bodies during drug-induced trances, might also have been expected to see the figures. Astronomical interpretations of the lines have been suggested. These are possible but could only explain a small proposition of the lines.
The figures, however, may be representations of constellations important in the agricultural year. They depict creatures important in Nazca mythology and religious belief: these are also shown on textiles and pottery.
Perhaps created as gifts to the gods in themselves, the lines composing the figures may also have been walked during religious ceremonies. Series of straight lines radiating from cairns where offerings had been placed may belong to the same tradition as later Inca roads linking sacred locations.
