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Inca stone walls

Mikel

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I get cold sweats looking at inca stone walls, how they perfectly fit irregular stones. This is a culture that did not even have iron tools. Any theories why they chose to carve these stones this way, rather than into standard shapes that easily fit into each other?

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Crimsen said:
Probably without iron tools, its easier to keep closer to original shape than make perfect rectangle/cube?
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I thought that too. But those stones are very heavily carved, so why not into your cube-shape? The trial and error required, with stones that weigh many tons, must be staggering.
 
I’ve seen theories that the pyramids were built with geopolymer and the “stones” were cast in place with clay forms.

This would explain all of the perfect inside corners that baffle everyone today.
 
For reference, this is the aqueduct of Segovia, built by the Romans in Spain two millennia ago, with no mortar of any kind. On the micro level, a much lower level of craftsmanship. Romans did have iron tools.

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ProjectTwin said:
I’ve seen theories that the pyramids were built with geopolymer and the “stones” were cast in place with clay forms.

This would explain all of the perfect inside corners that baffle everyone today.
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Could a geologist not test the "stones" to see if they were made out of geopolymer "concrete" or natural? Seems like a theory that should be able to be proven or debunked pretty easily. Then again, I am not a geologist.
 
:shaking: "Oooh, it's so mysterious!! Musta been them aliems!"

A solid crystal pyramid would be impressive. A solid titanium pyramid would get my attention. An 800 foot sphere would be cool. Rocks piled up in roughly the same shape nature makes...nah.


www.gemrockauctions.com

How Did The Incas Carve Massive Rocks?

The ancient Incas had the ability to set massive rocks together and join them with near perfect joins. Some of the rocks were over 5 meters tall and fitted together perfectly.
www.gemrockauctions.com www.gemrockauctions.com
One of the most impressive feats of the Ancient Incas was their ability to set massive rocks together with near perfect joins. Some rocks were over 5 meters tall and 2-3 meters thick and wide with free-form shapes and they managed to fit them together perfectly. Incredible. The Incas used free-form rocks with mortar in between to make houses and forts. As they lived in earthquake prone areas they built their structures on a lean of 8-13% to allow for earthquakes. Door ways and windows also had internal leans and many structures had huge rocks with small rocks placed in-between. Even today you can visit these sites and touch rocks that are loose within in a wall. This was designed to allow movement in an earthquake so that the wall would not collapse. Amazing! On the contrary when the Spanish arrived they built solid structures and churches, many of which have fallen down in earthquakes.
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The Incas used gravel to act like sandpaper and placed rocks on top of each other and this process made the rocks smooth and in line with each other.
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each rock had a tongue and grove system so in case of an earthquake the grove would strengthen the structure. Many examples of these rocks can be seen in unfinished Inca structures.H
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Mikel said:
For reference, this is the aqueduct of Segovia, built by the Romans in Spain two millennia ago, with no mortar of any kind. On the micro level, a much lower level of craftsmanship. Romans did have iron tools.

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They were also engineers with a job to do, not relizious zealots. Their lousy craftsmanship seems to have worked ok.
 
subybaja said:
They were also engineers with a job to do, not relizious zealots. Their lousy craftsmanship seems to have worked ok.
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Don't get me wrong, getting something to work that only requires crudely-made components is the best type of engineering. Romans left many examples of incredible workmanship all over the (known) world. This particular case used cheap, crude components to build a very sophisticated structure that lasted two millenia without significant repairs. I don't know enough about Inca architecture to compare.
 
I would also like to know how the one dude in Florida built coral castle all by himself. I have seen some shows that say he figured out something to do with electromagnetism and figured out how to make the coral blocks lighter. I've also heard the same theories about easter island and Nan Madol.

They say is had something to do with a black box that sat on top of a tripod made of pine. After his death the Gov swept in and black box was gone.
 
Mikel said:
Making one rock match the irregular shape of another rock is less work than making them somewhat square?

If it truly saves labor, where in the world is this being done these days?
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Of course. Making a block square/cubic means you have to work all six sides. Carving two to fit their 'almost' shape is exponentially less work. Smooth the bottom one, fnd another that jig-saw kind f matches, and refine the two to mate.

And no one is doing it these days because concrete. Just like so few are putting down oak floors and are usng engineered cmposites instead.
 
plym49.2 said:
Of course. Making a block square/cubic means you have to work all six sides. Carving two to fit their 'almost' shape is exponentially less work. Smooth the bottom one, fnd another that jig-saw kind f matches, and refine the two to mate.
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I think you are only looking at the volume of stone to be carved. My solution clearly has more.

What I find mind boggling is the amount of effort and skill to create a very intricate 3-D puzzle, in a world where you can't lift a huge stone and try fitment a dozen times with a hydraulic crane. These things often have gaps in which you can't get a knife blade in. Even using plaster templates it is a metric ton of work.
 
Crimsen said:
Probably without iron tools, its easier to keep closer to original shape than make perfect rectangle/cube?
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I would add to that it probably took them a long time to haul each stone into place, so while they had a bunch of people do that, they most likely had some dudes chiseling away at the one stone that just came in from the quarry carving it to fit right where the placed it.
 
Sandy Johnson said:
I would add to that it probably took them a long time to haul each stone into place, so while they had a bunch of people do that, they most likely had some dudes chiseling away at the one stone that just came in from the quarry carving it to fit right where the placed it.
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Oh yea, I'm sure that was it. Then they got all the slaves together, and everybody grunted and got that one 80 ton stone in the ceiling of the king's chamber.

:flipoff2:
 
45acp said:
Oh yea, I'm sure that was it. Then they got all the slaves together, and everybody grunted and got that one 80 ton stone in the ceiling of the king's chamber.

:flipoff2:
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Well, if you think about it, you only need all your stones to be square and uniform if you have a quick way to swing them in place, otherwise, you've got plenty of time between stone deliveries to try and shape your current stone to where you want it.

It is impressive how tightly they fit however, I that doesn't seem explainable with primitive tools.

What is this one 80 ton stone and a king's chamber you speak of?
 
Craftsmanship. can't even come close to that kind of work and we have all kinds of cool tools at our fingertips.. that being said it also could have an more than likely was alien jobsite...
 
nahmus said:
would also like to know how the one dude in Florida built coral castle all by himself.
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Mikel said:
in a world where you can't lift a huge stone and try fitment a dozen times with a hydraulic crane
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Coral Castle guy ^

:laughing: You guys sound like a kid mystified how anyone tuned a car before laptops.

Maybe 486 should host a conference on how to get shit done with grit instead of fancy tools.
 
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subybaja said:
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:laughing: You guys sound like a kid mystified how anyone tuned a car before laptops.

Maybe 486 should host a cenference on how to get shit done with grit instead of fancy tools.
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You are making lots of assumptions for a culture that didn't know the wheel. And so am I :laughing:

Some of those stones weigh almost 200 tons.
 
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