Ancient Andean stones interlock like LEGO bricks without mortar
High in the Andes, ancient builders carved 10-ton blocks of volcanic rock with such precision that they lock together like a giant, mortar-free puzzle.
The Gateway of the Sun at Tiwanaku is a monolithic mystery carved from a single block of andesite, one of the hardest stones on Earth. Built around 500 AD, the site features stones with perfectly square 'tenon' joints and grooves that were once held together by bronze clamps. This interlocking design was an engineering necessity; in a region prone to massive earthquakes, mortar would have cracked, but these 'LEGO-like' stones could shift and settle without the building collapsing.
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