Maria Reiche born - May 15, 1903

On this day in 1903, mathematician and archaeologist Maria Reiche was born. Throughout her life, Reiche was dedicated to studying the Nazca Lines.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and welcome to This
Day History Class, a podcast for people who can never
know enough about history. Today is May. The day was

(00:23):
May fifteenth, nineteen o three. Mathematician and archaeologist Maria Reischa
was born in Dresden, Germany. Preisha was dedicated to studying
the Nascar Lines, and she became known as the Lady
of the Lines. The Nascar Lines are a group of
designs etched into the Earth and southern Peru. Risha grew

(00:44):
up in Germany and went to university. There. She studied math, geography,
and astronomy and learned to speak five languages. But in
nineteen thirty two, as the Nazis rose in power, she
moved from Germany to Peru. There, Risha became interested in
the culture and history of the country. In seven, not
long before Rasha arrived in Peru, a Peruvian archaeologists came

(01:07):
across the Nascal Lines and reported on them. The Nascalons
are a group of geoglyphs, or large designs created on
the surface of the Earth. Many of them are believed
to have been created more than two thousand years ago.
As more people began flying over the area. In the
nineteen thirties, the Nazca lines became better known and Rissia

(01:27):
became interested in them. At the same time, American historian
Paul Kozak was photographing and studying the lines. Risha began
to work with Kozak and she began studying the lines extensively.
She visited them, flew over them, and began mapping them.
She realized that they formed hundreds of huge images like
that of a monkey, a hummingbird, a spider, and other

(01:50):
abstract designs. Kozak thought that the lines might be irrigation ditches,
but they were too shallow to be used for that purpose.
After KOs left Peru, Raisha continued to study the lines.
Risha theorized that the NASCAR lines were part of an
astronomical calendar, and she published her theories in the book
The Mystery on the Desert in nineteen forty nine. She

(02:12):
suggested that they were used to help determine when to
plant and arrogate crops, but this theory was not widely accepted. Still,
the NASCAR lines began to get attention from researchers around
the world. The lines also began to attract more tourist attention.
Risha began to be recognized as a keeper of the lines.
She worked to preserve the lines and used a broom

(02:35):
to sweep the desert, removing the gravel that was filling
in the lines. She used so many brooms that rumors
circulated among the locals that she was a witch. She
paid guards to protect the lines with money she earned
from her book. The Pan American Highway cut through the lines,
but Raisha got the Peruvian government to limit access to

(02:55):
the area and build a watch tower so people could
safely view them. The Nascar Lines were declared a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in Russia. Lived in a tourist hotel
in Nascar for the last twenty five years of her life,
and she continued to give lectures on the lines until
she died in After her death, her home in Nascar

(03:17):
was turned into a museum. The true purpose behind the
lines is still a mystery. I'm Eve Jeff Cote and
hopefully you know a little more about history today and
you did yesterday. And if you have any comments are suggestions,
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