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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct 11, 2013: "Stone of Twelve Angles", Cuzco, Peru

 

The Inca people of South America's Andes mountains were remarkable engineers.  Unlike Europeans, who used mortar to bond together large walls of brick or rock, Incas carefully shaped and chiseled stones so that they fit together perfectly!  Using only primitive tools, they were able to mold these rocks such than when their wall was completed, you couldn't slide a piece of paper between any 2 rocks.  And these walls are solid, having survived earthquakes and mountain conditions for hundreds of years.

The largest of the many fitted stones in this photo is quite famous.  Known as the 'Stone of Twelve Angles', it is without a doubt the most photographed rock in Cuzco.

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  • Inca wall, Cuzco, Peru: Note the many carefully fitted, multicornered stones

Twitter: @DrFumblefinger

"We do not take a trip, a trip takes us".  John Steinbeck, from Travels with Charlie

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