Blog 45
During the 4500 years of South American
pre-Columbian history, numerous civilizations emerged, mainly in the
western coast and the Andean regions of South America, e.g., the Chavín,
the Moche, the Nazca, and the Huari. Around 1530 AD, almost all of
their former territories, people and knowledge formed part of the Inca
Empire.
This pre-Hispanic state featured the largest extension in
America, with a population of about 15 million inhabitants of different
cultures and languages, including territories along the coast and the
Andes of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina.
The
Incas, who existed as an empire for approximately 100 years before the
arrival of the Spanish, conquered or annexed almost every contemporary
civilization in the Andes and adjacent coastal regions, and assimilated
all knowledge they encountered, including hydraulic engineering
technologies
The
Cumbe Mayo archaeological site located near the Peruvian city of
Cajamarca, features the ruins of a 9 km long Pre-Incan aqueduct, built
around 1500 BC.
The aqueduct collected water from the Atlantic watershed and redirected
it on its way to the Pacific Ocean. The channel was excavated in
volcanic rock and is 35 to 50 cm wide and 30 to 65 cm deep .
Locally the channel follows a zigzag course, possibly to diminish flow
speed and prevent erosion.
Arguably, in order to be able to design and
build a channel with such a precision, the master builder must have
employed cutting and leveling instruments.
Is this a form of Terra forming?
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