Marcahuasi
{{Short description|Plateau in the Andes Mountains, Peru}}
Marcahuasi ({{IPA|es|maɾkaˈwasi}}) is a plateau in the Andes Mountains, located 60 km east of Lima, on the mountain range that rises to the right bank of the Rímac River. The site is located at {{convert|4000|m|ft}} above sea level and is known for its unusual geological formations; curious shapes of human faces and animals visible in granite rock.
Research
The place was first investigated by Julio Tello in 1922. It was then investigated by Daniel Ruzo during the 1950s and in an area of about 3 km2, several hundred curious shapes are found, which can be presumed as natural formations.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} The place is located at a height of about {{convert|12500|ft|m}} in the Andes Mountain.{{cite web|title=The Mysterious Stone Monuments of Markawasi Peru|url=http://www.bcvideo.com/markawasi.html|website=bcvidio|publisher=B C Video|access-date=5 October 2014}}
Features
The plateau originated from a volcanic reaction. It is about {{convert|4|km2|sqmi|frac=4}} in area, and sits at an elevation of almost {{convert|4000|m|ft}} in Huarochirí Province, east of Lima, Peru. Marcahuasi is home to a unique set of huge granite rocks with curious shapes resembling human faces, animals, and religious symbols. There are many theories as to their origins, including the assertion that their unusual shapes formed naturally through erosion. Some argued that they are sculptures shaped by ancient people but archaeologists clearly state that the shapes are the result of erosion over centuries. There are some small pre-Columbian structures, which are tombs of ancient people and some of which are robbed and vandalised.{{cite web|last1=Schoch|first1=Dr. Robert M|title=The Mystery of Markawasi|publisher=Circular Times|edition=2005|url=http://www.robertschoch.net/Mystery%20of%20Markawasi.htm|access-date=9 October 2014}}
There is also a collection of ruins on the north side of the plateau. Over 50 structures stand in varying states of decay. The doorways are very small, some three feet high. Most of the structures are narrow since the use of arches was not known, therefore spans had to be covered with suitable rock that may have been quarried locally. There are also what appear to be burial tombs on the outskirts of the settlement.
Gallery
File:Marcahuasi 1.jpg|Another view, with the camping zone
File:Marcahuasi 2.jpg|The high lands and the road to the plateau
See also
- Badlands Guardian a feature that from the air bears a strong resemblance to a human head wearing a full Native American headdress
- 'Face on Mars', photographed by Viking 1 in 1976
- Old Man of the Mountain, rock profile in New Hampshire
- Old Man of Hoy a rock pillar off Scotland that resembles a standing man
- Pareidolia, the phenomena of perceiving faces in random patterns
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- Mazzotti Lopez, Daniel (2001). A mochila en Perú (Backpacking in Peru) [https://web.archive.org/web/20110813183555/http://clubdeexploradores3.multiply.com/ Peruvian explorers].
- Video: Marcahuasi: Enigmatic Stones in the Peruvian Andes
- Doore, Kathy (2008), [https://www.amazon.com/Markawasi-Perus-Inexplicable-Stone-Forest/dp/0979171350/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0J602BWG0HFE21N45SEY Markawasi: Peru's Inexplicable Stone Forest]
- Williamson, George Hunt (1973), [https://www.amazon.com/Road-sky-George-Hunt-Williamson/dp/B0007JEARI Road in the Sky]
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