Polo de Ondegardo on the Inca mason’s use of hammerstones to create precisely fitted stonework.

#inca #peru #archeology #archaeology #stonework #masonry #megalithic #history

The Spanish chronicler Juan de Betanzos documented how Pachacuti tore down Cusco, laid down new foundations and irrigation canals, and reconstructed the city with 50,000 workers over 20 years.

From the article MASONRY TECHNIQUES OF THE INCA’S MASTER BUILDERS
www.earthasweknowit.com/pages/inca_c...

Not the real Putin. Was a body double.

Restoration work of a chullpa (funerary tower) at Sillustani, Peru.

Via Museo Municipal Carlos Dreyer

Btw, look at how they’re using those pry bars! Perhaps not too different to how the Inca era workers once used theirs.

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_de...

This is a post-colonial, transitional-period building in Cusco called Casa de las Sierpes (House of the Snakes), constructed in the 1580s, when indigenous stone masons were helping in the construction of Spanish buildings. Note the precise fitting stonework.

#archeology #peru #inca #masonry

They also helped regulate watering, draining excess moisture during heavy rains, while storing water to extend the growing season during drier periods.

The canals provided habitat for animals such as fish, frogs, and birds, which both helped control pests while providing another source of protein.

The Waru Waru were created for a number of agricultural purposes. Crops like potato and quinoa would be planted on the raised beds between the canals.

In doing so, they helped prevent frost damage by storing thermal energy during the day, keeping temperatures warmer through the night.

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The earliest of these are believed to date back to around 1000 BCE, although most are commonly attributed to the Pukara (500 BCE - 200 CE) and Tiwanaku (200-1000 CE) cultures. Similar earthworks can also be seen just north of main Tiwanaku archeological site.

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The Waru Waru of the Geoglifos de Acora: an ingenious example of native permaculture.

I found these on google maps while planning this trip to Peru. My local guide and driver weren’t yet aware of 3 of the 4 we visited.

… 🧵

#archeology #archaeology #history #peru #permaculture

Some more of my pics from Inti Raymi 2025 are at this link (and while you’re at it, give my reddit community there a follow. I’m trying to hit 2000 followers)

www.reddit.com/r/EarthAsWeK...

The hundreds of performers from the event represent both the Inca elite and the millions of subjects from across their massive empire, Tahuantinsuyo. People from each region were required to maintain their own distinct style of clothing.

During the ritual they would make offerings to their deities in hopes of bountiful harvests & success in their military campaigns through the following year. These included primarily Inti (the Sun God), Pachamama (Mother Earth), and other supernatural beings.

Cusco’s Inti Raymi festival is the continuation of the Inca’s tradition of celebrating the winter solstice and the Andean new year.

More pics below👇

#history #inca #peru #archeology #festivals #southamerica

This may be why the Inca constructed trapezoidal doors, windows & niches.

Stone can support a lot of weight, but doesn’t have as much tensile strength, so is prone to cracking when flexed.

By shortening the top dimension, these lintel stones would be less likely to crack.

#archeology #history

Yeah, lots of archeological sites have repair/restoration work to make them more attractive for tourism. IMO it’s understandable that poor countries would try to increase tourism revenue for its population. I just wish all the new construction was better marked, to not confuse people.

Not all the modern stonework here is bad quality either btw.

This gate & the back of these niches are modern, with vertical & horizontal lines etched on them.

Note how those gate stones look newer, & don’t have lichen yet (which grows super slow).

#archeology #archaeology #peru #inca #history

Then today, alt-history conspiracists look at Machu Picchu’s cruder upper wall construction, and incorrectly claim that the modern reconstruction is actually Inca era construction, and that the lower construction is from some prior mythical lost advanced civilization. 😆

#archeology #archaeology

Further reconstruction continued into the 2000s, when they started chiseling the year and/or reference numbers & letters onto the modern stonework (look closely on the 3rd image for the lettering).

I don’t think most people realize how much of Machu Picchu has been rebuilt.

A lot of this reconstruction happened in the 1950s for some movie that was being filmed there.

#archeology #archaeology #machupicchu #peru #inca #history #megalithic

Longer term may even be deflationary if consumers has less spending power

I’ve seen videos of this approach a few times where they hammer in a row of wedges

Upon closer inspection, you can see this is simply a calcite or quartz vein. Crystals can still be seen along the crack.

Those minerals mostly dissolved, leaving behind the granite “cut”.

This is a good reminder as to why it’s a good idea to maintain some skepticism when analyzing this stuff.

However, when viewing the cut from above, it becomes obvious that the cut couldn’t have been made with a circular saw or a drag saw, because the cut is jagged/wobbly, not straight.

Before seeing this for myself, I had wondered if they may have used some kind of bronze stone saw (with sand and water for extra abrasion), such as was used by the ancient Romans and Egyptians.

Another Inca masonry mystery solved!

Many people have shared photos of this stone at Ollantaytambo as supposed evidence that they had some kind of powered saw, perhaps from a much more “ancient lost advanced civilization”.

But the truth is much simpler… 🧵

#archeology #archaeology #inca #peru

At the base of the Ollantaytambo ramp there are also some “Piedras Cansadas” (tired stones), one of which has more evidence of them using rows of wedges to split the stone apart.

#archeology #archaeology #peru #inca #history

I got some drone footage today of the giant ramp leading up to Ollantaytambo’s Temple of the Sun.

There are also some ruins above the start of the ramp and along it, which may have been guard stations, to protect this rear entrance into the site.

#archeology #archaeology #peru #inca #history

And here’s a similar wedge split from Tipón that I noticed yesterday.

#archeology #archaeology #inca #peru

The split rock at Machu Picchu. 🪨

The Inca masons would chisel out these holes, hammer in wooden wedges, and fill them with water, causing them to expand, splitting the stone.

The ancient Romans & Egyptians did the same.

No advanced lost technology required.

#archeology #archaeology #inca #peru