Wall of the Coricancha temple, at Cuzco, the capital city of the Inca Empire. Inca architecture is the most significant pre-Columbian architecture in South America. The Incas inherited an architectural legacy from Tiwanaku, founded in the 2nd century B.C.E. in present-day Bolivia.

2023年4月18日 · Peru's Inca stone walls have long fascinated archaeologists and visitors alike. Made of irregularly shaped stones that interlock so seamlessly that even a razor blade can't be inserted between them, these walls have puzzled researchers for centuries.

2014年3月13日 · Interlocking blocks and sloping walls make Inca buildings extremely resistant, but not immune, to earthquake damage. 500 years of earthquakes have done remarkably little damage to Inca structures left in their complete state.

2022年10月22日 · Through the dry fitted masonry techniques of caninacukpirca, the Incas shaped their stone to conceal natural outcrops, fit tight crevices, and ultimately incorporate the landscape into their infrastructure. The Inca also used natural bedrock as their structural foundations (to help keep the buildings stable).

2023年3月17日 · The Inca Walls in Cusco, Peru, are one of the most intriguing surviving examples of Inca engineering and are a key attraction when visiting Cusco.

2023年1月1日 · Rectangular structures were employed for a variety of purposes in practically all Inca structures, from simple dwellings to temples and palaces. Nonetheless, there are few examples of curving walls on Inca structures, particularly in areas outside of Peru’s central region.

2 天之前 · Discover Inca architecture's genius in Machu Picchu, featuring stonework, terracing, and innovative engineering, showcasing ancient civilization's skill in construction and city planning, with impressive Andean design and precision. ... The city’s stone walls were built using the ashlar technique, with stones cut to fit together without mortar.

2017年6月19日 · Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD on a mountain ridge roughly 2,420 meters above sea level using simple tools*. Roughly 200 structures survived throughout the ruins – all of them lost their wooden, straw-thatched roofs over the ages. But the decay stopped at the perfectly cut granite stones.

2023年11月10日 · Trunnion Stones: Large, irregularly shaped stones were fitted with projections and indentations, allowing for perfect alignment in their walls. Polygonal Masonry: The Incas crafted stones with multiple sides and angles, creating intricate patterns that enhanced the strength of their constructions.

We can’t fully de-code the Incas’ quipu, the knotted strings that they used for record-keeping, but we can view their stone monuments and famously joined stone walls, to see how they ruled the land through the power of masonry.