Been going back and forth on this one lately. The landing marker theory gets dismissed pretty quick by most researchers now but I dont think its completely dead, more like it gets lumped in with the fringe stuff and nobody wants to touch it seriously.
What gets me is the scale of them. You genuinely cannot appreciate the full designs from ground level, so somebody intended them to be viewed from above, whether thats aircraft, balloons, or something else entirely. The hot air balloon theory that Woodman tested back in the 70s is actually more credible than people give it credit for.
That said the water/ritual calendar explanations do make more practical sense for an ancient civilisation trying to survive in a desert region.
Anyone here actually visited the viewing platforms down there? Curious whether being on site changes how you think about it.