Maria Reiche died in Lima, Peru, on June 8, 1998, at the age of 95, after complications from ovarian cancer, having spent decades preserving the Nazca Lines.
Maria Reiche died on June 8, 1998, in Lima, Peru, at the age of 95. Sources indicate the cause of death was cancer, with some accounts specifying ovarian cancer, though details vary slightly regarding the specific hospital in which she passed away.
By the time of her death, Reiche had become a revered figure in Peru, celebrated as the "Lady of the Lines" ("Dama de las Líneas") for her decades of tireless, often solitary work measuring, documenting, and above all protecting the Nazca Lines from destruction by encroaching development, off-road vehicles, and neglect. She had lived for years in a modest house near the lines, funding much of her research and advocacy from her own limited resources, and had successfully lobbied the Peruvian government to declare the area a protected archaeological zone.
Her death marked the end of an extraordinary five-decade personal mission that began with her 1941 introduction to the lines. She was given a state funeral in Peru in recognition of her contributions, and the Peruvian government posthumously continued to honor her memory, including the naming of the regional airport near Nazca after her. Her passing was mourned across Peru and among the international scientific community, cementing her legacy as one of the most important guardians of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a pioneering, if unconventional, figure in archaeological preservation.