Inca stonework is so precise it can survive major earthquakes without the use of mortar
Inca masons crafted earthquake-proof walls by carving massive stones into interlocking shapes that fit together so tightly they require no mortar to remain stable for centuries.
At sites like Sacsayhuamán, 15th-century Inca engineers achieved a level of precision that modern machinery struggles to replicate. They used andesite boulders weighing up to 200 tons, carving them with convex protrusions that lock into the concave voids of adjacent stones. This 'puzzle-piece' design allows the walls to shift and vibrate during 8.0-magnitude earthquakes without collapsing.
There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.
Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 2-question quiz