The Sacred Valley

An Inca Mystery... Solved!

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I took this picture in Chinchero. You'll remember that earlier I described how the walls of Inca buildings inclined inward for the sake of earthquake resistance. But how did the Incas determine what was the appropriate angle of incline? This very question has long been a contentious issue between architects, historians, seismologists, and Freemasons. Imagine my great fortune, therefore, when I stumbled upon this young girl and her two llamas, who were acting in an extraordinarily rare and uncharacteristically placid manner! (The llamas, not the girl.) According to Wikipedia, llama behavior "is characterized by bouts of spitting, kicking and neck wrestling." These two llamas, by contrast, are extremely well-mannered. Where am I going with all of this? Observe, if you will, the angle at which these two llamas' necks are inclined toward one another! I was instantly reminded of the inward sloping angles of the Inca temple walls. Fetching my handy and every-ready pocket protractor, I promptly measured the interior angles formed by these two llamas' necks. I'm sure you've already guessed what I discovered. The incline of the llama's necks matched EXACTLY the incline of a typical Inca temple wall! (Allowing for a reasonable margin of error on account of neck wool, of course.) At last, the Great Mystery of Exact Angle of the Inclined Inca Temple Wall has been solved! (In a future blog, I will relate how Guinea pigs helped me unlock the deep mysteries of the Nazca lines.)

Moon over Ausangate

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As our returning tour bus descended into Cusco, we could see the full moon rising over Ausangate. This peak, which I've featured in a previous photo, rises to 6384 meters (20,940 ft) and lies about 100 kms from Cusco.