A giant 1,500-year-old geoglyph of a bird has been discovered by a passing drone.
The stone design is believed to have been made around the same time as the famous Nazca Lines.
It was found about 570 miles north of Nazca in Virú Valley in Peru’s La Libertad Region.
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The geoglyph – a large design on the ground created using elements such as earth and stones – measured between 98 and 131 feet (30 and 40 metres) on each side.
It was spotted by the operator of a drone carrying out a survey in the valley.
Feren Castillo Luján, director of the Virú Valley Archaeological Project, said the drone was flying at a low altitude to carefully comb the area.
He said: “We initially had doubts that it was a geoglyph, but when comparing it with the one found in Chupacigarro near the Sacred City of Caral, both use the same construction techniques to form the figure.”
Due to some ceramic artefacts found at the Virú site, archaeologists believe the geoglyph was created by the ancient Moche civilization.
They were known for their advanced irrigation systems, gold work, and elaborately painted ceramics.
Castillo Luján said the design was in the shape of a falcon-like bird of prey and faced towards the nearby mountain.
The geoglyph and nearby stone wells are thought to be part of water rituals practiced by the ancient Peruvian civilisation, as reported by Need To Know.
Castillo Luján said: “We don’t rule out the possibility of the Moche people using the ravine in the Virú Valley to make geoglyphs associated with water wells, possibly in times of scarcity or abundance of rain.
“We believe the geoglyphs are between 1,000 and 1,500 years old.”
He added: “Everything indicates that the Moche civilization was making petroglyphs and geoglyphs at the same time the Nazca people was making the Lines.”
Castillo Luján said it’s possible there are other Moche geoglyphs in the area just waiting to be discovered.
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