Our visit to Machu Pichu was unbelievable, a fitting climax to a fantastic 3 weeks in Peru. More than anything, I was amazed by the Inca civilization... they were a very clever bunch. Have a look on our flickr to see pictures of Machu Pichu. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ceriandjiro/sets/72157608033086994/
Here are some of the things I found most interesting:
- The Inca's had no writing system, so they relied heavily on oral communication. They devised a system of relay runners who could transport a message 250km in one day. This was vital as the Inca empire was HUGE. It stretched from Ecuador in the north to Argentina in the South, Peru, Chile and most of Bolivia in the middle. In just 14 days, a message could be sent the entire 3600km that the empire stretched north to south.
-The Inca never invented the wheel. But they also had no draught animals to pull anything so they didn't miss out on too much. They also never invented the arch, but they did built the most advanced Suspension bridges and were by far the best stone masons in the world.
They cut huge blocks of granite using harder stone from meteorites.
Hmmmmmm. Look at the corners on that.
-Machu Pichu, which was never found by the Spanish Conquistadors, was actually a University where elite students learnt cutting edge agricultural, architectural and engineering skills.
They built tiered terraces for experimental farming. Amazingly, each of these terrraces has its own micro climate. By using rocks with varying degrees of porosity (that is a word, I just checked), and different soil types they could have one terrace with soil of 17c and another of 20c, for example. And they could therefore find optimum growing conditions. Genius!
Here are some of the things I found most interesting:
- The Inca's had no writing system, so they relied heavily on oral communication. They devised a system of relay runners who could transport a message 250km in one day. This was vital as the Inca empire was HUGE. It stretched from Ecuador in the north to Argentina in the South, Peru, Chile and most of Bolivia in the middle. In just 14 days, a message could be sent the entire 3600km that the empire stretched north to south.
-The Inca never invented the wheel. But they also had no draught animals to pull anything so they didn't miss out on too much. They also never invented the arch, but they did built the most advanced Suspension bridges and were by far the best stone masons in the world.
They cut huge blocks of granite using harder stone from meteorites.Hmmmmmm. Look at the corners on that.
-Machu Pichu, which was never found by the Spanish Conquistadors, was actually a University where elite students learnt cutting edge agricultural, architectural and engineering skills.
They built tiered terraces for experimental farming. Amazingly, each of these terrraces has its own micro climate. By using rocks with varying degrees of porosity (that is a word, I just checked), and different soil types they could have one terrace with soil of 17c and another of 20c, for example. And they could therefore find optimum growing conditions. Genius!-The Inca empire was only approx 150 years old when the Spanish first invaded in 1529. Within those years they built an Empire of about 12 million people, through military conquest, but primarily through peaceful assimilation.
Lesson over, you can go play now!!
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