TheSajama Lines[saˈxama] of westernBolivia are a network of thousands (possibly tens of thousands) of nearly perfectly straight paths etched into the ground continuously for more than 3,000 years by theindigenous people living near the volcanoSajama. They form a web-like network that blankets theAltiplano.[1][2]
Recent research revealed that this network of lines covers an area of 22,525 km2 (8,697 sq mi; 5,566,000 acres), approximately fifteen times larger than the area covered by theNazca Lines inPeru. Rough estimates put their linear length at approximately 16,000 kilometres (9,900 mi), roughly three times the breadth of theUnited States. As such, the Sajama Lines are the largestarchaeological site in theAndes and might be considered the largestartwork in the world.[1][2]
The lines were created by scraping asidevegetation and the dark surface material consisting ofsoil andoxidizedrock and exposing the lighter subsurface material. Like the better-known Nazca Lines (which differ from the Sajama Lines in that some of the Nazca are depictions of animals) neither the purpose of these lines, nor how the makers achieved such precision, are completely understood.[1]
Scholars at theUniversity of Pennsylvania describe:
While many of these sacred lines extend as far as ten or twenty kilometers (and perhaps further), they all seem to maintain a remarkable straightness despite rugged topography and natural obstacles. The sheer number and length of these lines is often difficult to perceive from ground level, but from the air or hilltop vantage points, they are stunning.[1]
Many believe that the lines were originally used by indigenous people when they madesacredpilgrimages. Interspersed among this network of radial lines and aligned to where lines meet arewak'as (shrines),chullpas (burialtowers) andhamlets, making the area a unique cultural landscape. Though the region is now sparsely populated there is evidence that some of the lines are still in use asfootpaths.[1]
The earliest account of the Sajama Lines inEnglish is a brief reference by travelerAimé Felix Tschiffely in 1932. That same decade,anthropologistAlfred Metraux brought the lines and associated structures to the attention of scholars when he publishedethnographicfieldwork about theAymara and Chipaya people of theCarangas region.[2]
In the 1970s,Britishwriter andfilmmakerTony Morrison reported on this network of sacred lines and roadways. In recent years, organizations such as theLandmarks Foundation have studied andmapped the Sajama Lines to create adatabase to help protect the landscape from threats oferosion, unchecked internationally financed development andtourism in the area, and other dangers that come from the absence of a management plan.[1][2]
The Landmarks Foundation worked with the University of Pennsylvania to develop the "Tierra Sajama project" which usedgeographic information systems (GIS) and other analytic digital media tools to map, describe, and analyze the Sajama Lines and their associated structures in order to offer strategies to protect and promote the Lines in the future. The Tierra Sajama project:[1]
According to Tierra Sajama participants:
The Sajama Lines are extraordinary examples of human achievement and spiritual expression. With proper preservation and management, responsible development, erosion prevention and measures to minimizevandalism the Sajama Lines can be protected to the benefit of tourists from all over the world as well as the local people.[1]
18°16′37″S68°41′31″W / 18.277°S 68.692°W /-18.277; -68.692