1963 Nasca (Nazca) geoglyphs, Peru desert. The desert surface is covered by a layer of dark stones lying on top of fine yellow sediment left by an ancient alluvial deposit. The markings were made by simply moving the stones to one side as on a giant scraper board. In places the surface is so fragile that even footsteps show.

A view looking northwest from the cultivated Nasca valley across the desert to Andean foothills. This is roughly 7.5kms from Nasca town and the trapezoid in the picture is 860 metres long and was probably slightly longer before it was cut by the Panamerican highway, which crosses the picture from east to west.

Camera: MPP Microflex Twin Lens Reflex with F3.5 77.5mm Taylor Taylor Hobson lens. Film Kodak Verichrome Pan at F5.6 - 1/300 second with a 3 x orange filter (Actina) to increase the contrast between the stones and the yellow sediment. Developed by hand in Lima using Kodak Microdol at normal dilution.

Negative Peru 63-43-01 © Tony Morrison