Sacsayhuaman stone wall close-up - photos

[Altair]

Close-up of a section of the Sacsayhuaman stone wall built by the Incas in the 15th century.






Previously:

Stonemason making tight-fit wall - GIF
Neat stone wall - GIF
Stonemason splitting stone - GIF
Warped wall sculpture - photos
Making an artificial stone wall - GIF

[mklotz]

I watched a TV show once where some self-styled (i.e., no degrees) archaeologist attempted to show that those perfectly fitted stones weren't as fantastic an achievement as they apprear.

The block to be fitted was chiseled roughly to shape. Then the faces that would butt against the existing stone work were hollowed in such a way that contact would occur only at the edges rather than face against face. Finally, the edges would be trimmed and abraded so they just touched, giving the appearance we see today.

I got the impression that this guy was trying to make a name for himself. Still, I'd like to see someone demonstrate that the stones we see today aren't so joined. Until that happens I'm going to continue to trust that the awesome work of the Amerindians was genuine.

[ductape]

The first picture features the somewhat famous twelve-angled stone in Peru. It is diorite, which is about 7 on the Mohs scale. Similar to quartz. It's generally accepted that copper and bronze tools were used to cut stone at this time but it's unlikely that either type of chisel could make a reasonable concave cut in such a hard material. There must be some kind of yet to be discovered grinding/flattening process involved with Incan construction work.

[rogue1949]

I've been to Cuzco and have had the opportunity to examine Inca walls from Sacsayhuaman to Macchu Pichu. They're fascinating. I tried several times to insert the small blade of my Swiss Army knife into the joints and never succeeded. In some areas the walls are down, from earthquake or Spanish invaders scavaging materials to build their churches. Where the walls were torn down I could see that the stones were actually fitted together not just on the visible joints but also by bookmatching concave and convex surfaces. Some have speculated use of a secret acid, and of course alien assistance. I have no opinion on how these stoneworks were accomplished. I just know I've built enough drystack walls to be amazed they've held together since 1450.

[mklotz]

The first picture features the somewhat famous twelve-angled stone in Peru. It is diorite, which is about 7 on the Mohs scale. Similar to quartz. It's generally accepted that copper and bronze tools were used to cut stone at this time but it's unlikely that either type of chisel could make a reasonable concave cut in such a hard material. There must be some kind of yet to be discovered grinding/flattening process involved with Incan construction work.

The Egyptians had the same problem - hard rock and copper/bronze tools. The unfinished obelisk...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinished_obelisk

discovered near Aswan demonstrates their approach to the problem. Diorite bowling-ball sized stones were used as hammers to gradually chip away the hard granite.

The same process could have been used in Peru to form a hollow in the face of one of the stones, perhaps with some material harder than diorite. (Note that I'm not saying it was so.)

Also, I believe some diorite balls were found in situ at the quarry from which Machu Picchu stone was obtained.

There's good reason to believe that the construction of these ancient stone works was regarded as an act of worship and so the immense patience, skill and devotion of the builders is easier to understand.