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 will show.

A complex area of straight line markings, long narrow trapezoids, and paths with stone piles, and a design thought to be a bird. In 1963 the bird was known as the Pelican and at that time was the largest of the animal drawings known on the desert. The eyes were 10.2 metres across and very faint as they had not been cleaned by Maria Reiche, the German mathematician who was trying to solve the mystery of the geoglyphs. This complex is approximately 24 kms northwest of Nasca town close to the edge of the Ingenio river valley.

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 63-45-07© Tony Morrison