How was Machu Pichu built?

Question

How were the enormous, heavy stones placed with such fine precision? The indians did not have the wheel, moving such huge stones must have been very difficult, I would be very interested to learn current thinking on how Machu Pichu was built. Thank you.

Answer 1

Machu Picchu (which means "manly peak") was built around 1460-1470 A.D. by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui.

The architecture of Machu Picchu  : When the Incas built Machu Picchu they shaped the stones of the buildings so exact that to this day you can't fit a thin knife between the stones. The stones aren't staying together because of mortar but because of pure craftsmanship.

The homes were shaped like a pentagonal prism. The strange thing about the building in Machu Picchu is they were built without roofs.  Some of the buildings were built in a rectangular prism shapes. The doors of most of the buildings were trapezoid shaped. The only buildings with roofs were the homes that were on the outside of Machu Picchu, they were very small huts, and the Sapa Inca's temples.

Answer 2

Hey jxt299,

Yes, there's the eternal mystery about MACHU PICCHU. I'm sure the builders (whom I doubt were the Incas as I'm one of those who believe the fortress is much older than the 567 years most scholars assert it is) left some records of the process, perhpas in kipus (an Andean recording device). I have been once to the fortress and it is really something special. When you're there, you "know" that Machu Picchu can't have been built in 1440...

"Mystery surrounds Machu Picchu's precise function because the Incas didn't reveal its existence during the Spanish conquest. Various hypotheses, however - many stemming from Hiram Bingham the man who "discovered" the ruins in 1911 - attempt to explain these mysteries. Bingham judged as important the presence of a magnificent building with three broad windows. He believed that these alluded to Tamputoco, the mythic cradle or birthplace of the elite Inca. Later, Bingham believed that the Machu Picchu was the Inca refuge called Vilcabamba "the old" or Vilcabamba "the great". There, the defeated chief Manco Inca and his court fled after the siege of Cusco in 1536, the failed Indian revolt against their Spanish conquerors.

Luis E. Valcarcel, a famous Peruvian scholar, developed another theory. He believes Machu Picchu could be Vitcos, the legendary fortress occupied by the Incas during the resistance against the Spanish crown. Valcarcel based this theory on the similarity between "Picchu" and "Vitcos".

The strategic position of Machu Picchu has generated another, especially popular, hypothesis. This theory says the "fortress" served as an outpost, serving the Inca's pretensions to dominate the region of the Amazonia, near Cusco. Concerning this theory, it helps to be aware of the scenes that show confrontations between the Inca soldiers and simple combatants called "chunchos" the jungle natives. These scenes are depicted on lacquered wooden cups made by the Incas.

Bingham also based his theories on the many remains of women discovered. He believed that the occupants were "Allcas", or women of the sun, the keepers of the temple rituals and those who fled from Cusco upon the arrival of the Spaniards. For the evidence to be convincing, it would still be necessary to find a greater number of remains. One thing is certain, however. The architectural style pottery and metal objects prove that the ruins flourished during the classical Inca period (1438-1531) which ended the tradition of Andean cultures stretching over 3,000 years. One can also conclude that Machu Picchu was an important center of worship and ceremonies. The evidence for this includes the mountain city's enigmatic altars, its magical fountains and, certainly, its hidden and almost inaccessible character. Its very nature as a highly sacred spot probably dictated the scenery, which surrounded its existence.

The Spanish conquest also appears to have had a role in preserving the mystery. The political and religious changes the invaders introduced most likely resulted in the extinction of the ancient Inca state and the desertion of Machu Picchu."

Now, there's also Jim Allen who believes that Machu Picchu is one of the remains of Atlantis! H explains:“The continent of Atlantis is still there opposite the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar) only now it has been re-named South America. The part which sank was a small volcanic island which sank into a large inland sea in the centre of the continent.”He also comments, “People sometimes say; ‘How can Atlantis be in the Andes when it is supposed to have sunk into the sea?’ We must remember that Atlantis according to Plato was on a level plain "high above the level of the sea and surrounded by mountains". In fact the entire plain has been periodically submerged beneath the sea i.e. it became a giant inland sea at various dates going back thousands of years succeeded by dry periods."

Hope you find this interesting.