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Thirteen-angle stone discovered in ancient Inca wall

Thirteen-angle stone discovered in ancient Inca wall reveals incredible skill of masons

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Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed an ancient Inca wall during excavations at the Incahuasi archaeological site in the Huancavelica Region of Peru, which includes a precisely carved stone with thirteen angles, enabling it to fit perfectly among the surrounding blocks. Peru’s Ministry of Culture announced that the wall formed part of a sophisticated hydraulic system.

The Inca wall was discovered in Incahuasi

The Inca wall was discovered in Incahuasi, an archaeological site in Huancavelica Region, Peru (Credit: Google Maps)

The Inca civilization is well-known for its advanced masonry work, much of which can still be seen today in Machu Picchu and Sacsayhuaman in Peru. Their large dry stone walls display huge blocks that had been carefully cut to fit together tightly without mortar and with levels of precision unmatched anywhere else in the Americas. The stones are so closely spaced that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward have puzzled scientists for decades.  The method used to match precisely the shape of a stone with the adjacent stones is still unknown.

Cyclopean polygonal masonry at Sacsayhuamán in Peru

Cyclopean polygonal masonry at Sacsayhuamán in Peru (Wikipedia).

The most famous of all is the twelve-angled stone, which sits in a wall in the Hatun Rumiyoc street of Cuzco, which draws tourists from far and wide who wish to get a glimpse of this incredible work of masonry. However, it appears that the twelve-angled stone has now been outdone as researchers have located a stone with an even greater number of angles.

Twelve angle stone, in the Hatun Rumiyoc street of Cuzco

Twelve angle stone, in the Hatun Rumiyoc street of Cuzco (Wikipedia).

According to Peru’s Ministry of Culture, the stone with thirteen angles was found in an Inca wall that formed part of a hydraulic system in Incahuasi (“Inca House”), an important archaeological site containing numerous Inca ruins. 

The wall was part of an interconnected network of water channels

The wall was part of an interconnected network of water channels. (Credit: Peru’s Ministry of Culture).

The Incas created an interconnected network of channels to receive water that came down the hill and fed into the Viscacha River. However, it is unclear whether the Inca channelled the water for agricultural or ritual purposes, or both.  The Inca culture revered waterholes, lakes, and glaciers, which were viewed as sacred places of origin.

Featured image: Thirteen-angle stone found in Incahuasi, Peru. (Photo: Ministry of Culture)

By April Holloway

 

Comments

angieblackmon's picture

i've come back to this picture so many times it's just unreal how these things were put together!

love, light and blessings

AB

We have forgotten far more than we shall ever remember!
This reminds me of Coral Castle. One lone man who moved millions of tons of rock by himself.

I think they had the secrets of transference within the vibrational cells of the rocks.

I've never heard of browns gas, however if you fire limestone hot enough you get quick lime which can be easily cut, and “troweling” the cut material would produce the same look that we have in the photos of the stone edges.

Plus were coke introduced into the firing process you could produce calcium carbide, which when water is introduced produces acetylene gas used in welding, old mining lamps etc….Not to mention if the whole structure were heated to an ungodly temp, the whole thing could glow brightly….look up limelight. Softening and rehardening with the reintroduction of CO2 from the air or more quickly from water after cooling…..which would allow for a polishing mode as well maybe.

It doesn’t melt, but turns into a chalkier material for some time….and if you did say a glowing pyramid it would be a one time deal, as it shrinks considerably I’ve noticed when slashing and burning my property when first purchased. Limestone rocks which intially were hard to remove popped right out until after a rain or two. After which they seem to swell up tighter than ever.

 

One thing I find interesting, and if you know about browns gas this may seem more believable, is the stones were essentially heated up in some manner of chemical reaction which made the stones pliable and also made for tighter seems.

These walls are truly amazing, and I love that they baffle the people that study them. It points to the fact that we have an awful lot to learn, the skills of these wall builders were not learnt in 5 minutes, but no doubt over many generations. When I was at school, we were taught that our ancestors were "Primitive" and not very intelligent, I never bought into this idea, and now as I am getting older I am enjoying the way "History" is having to be re-thought and written about. It has always been my belief that Human history and knowledge goes way back further than anyone dare imagine, and it just gives me joy that this is seemingly becoming the case, more and more discoveries are pushing back the years with some astonishing finds of "Technologies" that were thought to be impossible for the age of the artefacts now being found, it really does put a glow in this old mans soul.

aprilholloway's picture

April

April Holloway is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. For privacy reasons, she has previously written on Ancient Origins under the pen name April Holloway, but is now choosing to use her real name, Joanna Gillan.

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