Nazca Lines belongs to the Common Era — dated here to c. 500 CE at Peru. Dates mark a scholarly centre of gravity (dedication, completion, or iconic phase), not a single foundation day.
Kilometre-scale figures only coherent from the air — hummingbird, spider, monkey etched into desert varnish.
How it amazes the brain
Removing dark pebbles to reveal light soil. Alignments and ritual pathways still debated.
Why it counts as a wonder
It never needed a contest ballot to scramble the brain: scale, craft, or sheer improbability is enough.
A wonder that waited for airplanes to become fully visible.
On dating
CE means years after the traditional birth of Christ. A monument listed as c. 500 CE may have been founded earlier, rebuilt later, or become famous only in one phase. Engineering wonders (dams, tunnels, orbiting labs) are dated to opening or assembly.
This is story 61 of 100 in The Trend Ledger’s illustrated desk on world wonders raised after the birth of Christ — the companions to our BCE series.