Saskaywaman is an ancient fortress with enormous stone walls located in Cusco, Peru which was the capital of the ancient Incas of South America. While many believe the Incas built the complex, there are also stories that the Incas told the Spanish conquistadors that they did not know how they were built or who built them, because they were there before the Incas moved into the area.
A single sheet of paper does not fit between the stones
Saksaywaman – Stone fortress
Even more impressive than the size of the stones they used (up to 200 tons), is the way they fit the them together without the use of any mortar. The stones are so perfectly placed together in interlocking shapes that a single sheet of paper cannot be fit between them.
There are multiple theories as to how they did this, from a magical plant that melts rock or heat generated from giant mirrors.
Why this fascinates me:
We are starting to learn that many ancient sites around the world were built on top of much older sites. Locations around the world that are ideal for establishing a settlement are constant and if a group of people came across an existing site, at an ideal location, they would simply build upon the existing structure. We still this this today, however in modern day we tend to demolish and rebuild. In ancient times, building upon an existing foundation is not only logical, but has been found as fact in multiple site across the world.
I believe the Inca developed their civilization on top of an existing foundation which was much, much older.
Who built the original structure of Saksaywaman and how did they create a structure that could not be replicated in modern times?