Cusco, Peru

When you discuss the Incan Empire, its history and demise, sooner or later you will have to talk about walls. Yes, you read correctly: walls.

One thing that all of the world’s faith traditions and religions have in common is the amount of effort, expense and attention to detail that is expended during the construction of temples and places of worship. From the Roman Catholic cathedrals of Europe to the temples of Egypt and India, the displays of workmanship and perfection can appear almost super human. The Incas were no exception. You know you are in an Incan temple by looking at the walls. Are the stones perfectly aligned and polished? Are the walls leaning inward and do the windows have trapezoid shapes to withstand earth quakes? Has a tongue and groove construction been used to prevent the stones from shifting? The more difficult the challenge to overcome, the greater the veneration for the god to be worshipped.

This wall represents the remnants of an Incan temple just outside of Cusco. Look at the large stone in the middle. It weighs 120 metric tons. It was moved to this site from a quarry 1 mile away. The Incas did not use wheels during the transport of building materials. Why not use smaller pieces of granite? Why the tremendous effort to move such a large stone?