:eek:
It took about 1,000 years for an ancient Peruvian civilization to finish the Nazca Lines, miles of lines etched into the desert depicting plant and animal life, and we’re still studying the drawings two millennia later. But it only took a confused trucker about an hour to wreck part of the cherished site—taking his big rig off-roading into the desert, tearing over the Nazca Lines, and leaving “deep scars” on the historic artwork, NPR reports.
The driver was cruising down the highway Saturday when—despite signs telling him he was passing a UNESCO World Heritage Site—he decided to veer off into the desert, according to Peru’s Ministry of Culture. As he plowed his rig through the sand and dirt, he tore up at least three of the ancient line drawings under his wheels, irreparably damaging what UNESCO calls “the most outstanding group of geoglyphs anywhere in the world.”
:mad:
The driver, identified as 40-year-old Jainer Jesús Flores Vigo, was detained and released, according to newspaper Peru21.
<snip>
A magistrate concluded that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to indicate the driver acted with intent, Peru21 reports.
Hmmm. Looks like we don’t have a “thankfully” emoji.
Peru’s public minister announced that Nazca’s prosecutor’s office was appealing the judge’s decision. The ministry had sought nine months of preventive detention and a $1,550 fine while the investigation continues, according to the newspaper.
How bad is it? Well, you can see the video and pictures at the links above, but if you want words and numbers:
For thousands of years they were fine, and then some fucking idiot jackass messes them up forever. Way to go, jackass.
I wonder what his BAC level was.
Maybe he was on a special mission.
I fucking love that movie.
Did the trucker run over the mentioned links too?
Let’s see, we’ve got yahoos knocking over hoodoos in Goblin Valley, people instagramming pics of their graffiti in various National Parks, and guys joyriding across The Racetrack and the Nazca Lines. Oh yeah, there was the dude who made fires at the base of Delicate Arch that left burn marks. I’d like to take this opportunity to pit them all. Fuckers.
I read somewhere that his reason for going off-road was in order to avoid the toll booth.
E-DUB
February 3, 2018, 3:46am
8
Instead of “Nazca” he thought it said “Nascar”.
You probably won’t like to learn that the former Bear’s Ears National Monument is being turned into an ATV park.
Oh, there’s links in the OP; there are. Sometimes I just like to try and be subtle and clever, like when I’ve got a subject matter like this one: truck runs over huge petroglyphs . <wink wink nudge>
wguy123
February 3, 2018, 5:37pm
16
Well done!
I never even knew of these until now. Very cool!
To clarify: The Nazca lines are cool. The driving through them is the opposite.
davidm
February 3, 2018, 7:44pm
17
Would it make sense to repair them, or would that be considered further degredation?
Could they be repaired without leaving further tracks?
I didn’t realize they were just carvings in the dirt. I thought they were rocks laid in a pattern. How did they last for a thousand years? Does it never rain there?
jayjay
February 3, 2018, 8:06pm
19
They’re in the rainshadow of the Andes, same as Atacama, so it’s very, very arid.
I was under the same impression. I’m sure I read an article that said the same thing. Strange.