One woman’s dedication brought attention and protection to the Nazca Lines, ancient scratches in the Earth’s surface visible from space. Maria Reiche was a German whose curiosity led her to travel to Peru in 1941. An American anthropologist introduced her to the Nazca lines, huge images carved into the Peruvian desert by the Nazca people, whose civilization existed from 500 BCE to 500 CE. With ordinary brooms, Maria swept the desert sand and rocks to uncover the images, whose meaning is still disputed today. Since the images were far too large to see in whole from the ground, she took measurements so that she could draw what she discovered. Later viewing the enormous images from a helicopter, she reported that “flying is the only way you can see the full beauty of the lines.” When the desert was scheduled to be flooded for irrigation, she led efforts to protect the Nazca lines, which are now a UNCESCO heritage site. After decades in the bright, hot desert, Maria lost her sight and needed to use a wheelchair, but she never regretted her life’s work. Photographs, a timeline, and additional information about the Nazca, including theories about the lines, round out this entrancing true story.