Been down a rabbit hole on this lately and honestly I keep going back and forth on it. Some researchers reckon the lines were basically ceremonial routes used during festivals or rituals, which would suggest the Nazca people were very much present and active on them. But then the scale of the whole thing makes you wonder if it was more about being seen from above, which opens up the whole "built for the gods" angle.
What gets me is the settlement evidence nearby is patchy. Like they clearly had a civilisation with proper infrastructure but the lines themselves feel almost separate from everyday life if that makes sense.
Do you lot think it was more of a pilgrimage kind of thing, where people travelled to use the lines rather than living alongside them? Or is there a stronger case that local communities were directly tied to the site day to day? Would love to hear what others reckon because I feel like I dont have a solid handle on this one yet.