Inca Stonework on Calle Hatunrumiyoc in Cuzco, Peru

The Inca were, to my mind, most eminent for their stonework. Look at this wall in Cuzco. It was built almost 700 years ago, before a number of major earthquakes, particularly the ones of 1650 and 1950, shook most of the Spanish buildings to rubble. The remaining Inca walls did not budge. Interestingly, they were constructed without mortar, with each block trimmed to fit exactly atop the stones beneath it and to either side.

Best-known is the famous Twelve-Angle stone, not more than a few feet away from the above view:

The Famous Twelve Angle Stone

Now imagine trying to get a modern-day stonemason to do something like that. This stone is so revered that it is forbidden by law to even touch it. Yet it has withstood centuries of tremors and hard usage.

Today this wall forms part of the Archbishop’s Palace, which the Spanish wisely incorporated into the present structure.

Below is an image of some of the damage after the 1950 earthquake:

Cuzco After the 1950 Earthquake

As good as the Inca were at being stonemasons, it is amazing to think that:

1. They had no system of writing, though they did have a system of saving numerical data using a system of knotted cords known as quipu.
2. They did not have the wheel to help them move all those heavy stones. But then they had no draft animals that could pull heavy carts, either,