Halfway between Machu Picchu and the city of Cuzco, Peru, lies a civil engineering wonder that has captivated and puzzled researchers and travelers since it was first photographed in 1931. Situated on a plateau, the ancient Inca site of Moray consists of many terraced circular depressions in the earth, the largest of which is 30 meters (98 feet) deep. The difference in temperature between the top and the bottom of the circles can be as much as 15 °C (27 °F). What are those mysterious concentric circles? What do they mean? Was this a religious site? An agricultural research station? Moray: Inca Engineering Mystery reports the results of an exhaustive investigation into the surveying work underlying the sites construction, as well as the engineered systems for collecting and delivering water. Ken Wright and his team take the reader on a tour of Moray, describing the geography and geology of the area. They explain their field evidence that led to solving the Inca mystery and resolving decades of speculation. The book includes a walking tour and map to guide visitors through Morays significant features. Profusely illustrated and written in nontechnical language, Moray will appeal to civil engineers interested in earthworks, water supply systems, and engineering history, as well as the tourist and armchair traveler.

Moray: Inca Engineering Mystery

Politics & Social Sciences

Gordon F. McEwan

Ruth M. Wright

Alfredo Valencia Zegarra

Kenneth R. Wright

Archaeology

ASCE

Water and water worship were integral to the spiritual life of the Inca. The Incamisana, an ancient water temple that is part of the royal estate at Ollantaytambo, is a hydraulic masterpiece that serves as historical evidence of the importance of water to the Inca. Preserved under a massive amount of alluvial soil following the 1679 flood, the Incamisana was rediscovered in 1980, revealing a complex water system. The water system of open channels, buried conduits, hydraulic drop structures, eight fountains, and orifices was a well-designed and balanced flow system based on the same engineering principles employed in modern waterworks. Created several centuries before Bernoulli formulated the relationship between flow, energy, and elevation, the Inca were able to control the flow of water with a degree of sophistication that rivals modern engineers. In Incamisana: Engineering an Inca Water Temple, Ken Wright and his team analyze and explain the masterful design of the temple, which incorporates hydraulic works into an aesthetically pleasing ceremonial complex. Additional studies at the nearby Lip Fountain and Bath of the Princess Fountain further illustrate the engineering skills of the Inca. Set against a backdrop of impressive and mysterious cliff-face rock carvings, the Incamisana is also part of a larger water supply system for the region. Wright s team investigates the mountainside hydrology, geology, and paleohydrology supporting the fountains and the surrounding agricultural terraces necessary to support the Inca community. Extensively illustrated with photos and drawings, this book provides engineers, archaeologists, tourists, and armchair travelers with an appreciation of the civil engineering skills of the Inca people.

Incamisana: Engineering an Inca Water Temple (Asce Press)

Science & Math

Arminda M. Gibaja Oviedo

Richard W. Miksad

Technology

ASCE Press

Defying many of the supposed rules of civilization building, and lacking the advantages of a written language, hard metals, the wheel, or draft animals, the Incas forged one of the greatest imperial states in history.
The Incas: New Perspectives offers a revealing portrait of the ancient Andean empire from the earliest stages of its development to its final capitulation to Pizzarro in the mid-16th century.
In recent years researchers have employed new tools to get to the heart of the mysterious Inca culture. Drawing on recent work in archaeology, anthropology, ethnohistory, and other sources, The Incas provides the most up-to-date interpretations of Inca culture, religion, politics, economics, and daily life available. Readers will discover how the Incas discovered medicines still in use and kept records using knotted cords; how Inca builders created masterful highways and stone bridges; and how the inhabitants of seemingly unfarmable lands came to give the world potatoes, beans, corn, squashes, tomatoes, avocados, peanuts, and peppers.
 • Maps of the Andes region and Inca lands showing prominent population centers and geographic features
• A concise, informative chronology of the rise and fall of Inca civilization, from the earliest evidence of cultural life to their destruction at the hands of Pizarro and his conquistadors

The Incas: New Perspectives (Understanding Ancient Civilizations)

Reference

ABC-CLIO

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Books by Gordon F. McEwan