Rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Inca stonework uses no mortar yet fits so tightly it is highly earthquake-resistant. The water system and the Intihuatana stone astronomical markers show careful planning. Its purpose (royal estate, religious site, administrative fortress) and the reason for its abandonment before the Spanish arrival (smallpox, refuge, other) remain unsettled.
Account
Rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Inca stonework uses no mortar yet fits so tightly it is highly earthquake-resistant. The water system and the Intihuatana stone astronomical markers show careful planning. Its purpose (royal estate, religious site, administrative fortress) and the reason for its abandonment before the Spanish arrival (smallpox, refuge, other) remain unsettled.
Sources
- Yale University Bingham archives
- Peruvian Ministry of Culture National Directorate of Culture report