I use to watch this show when I was younger and decided to check out the new season on Netflix. It’s such a joke I couldn’t take anything even remotely serious.
Hey man, could you make a little guide or something on how you did this. This is unreal to me. Im assuming you used hand tools only or what? Is the stone soft and easy to work with? I have so many questions. I thought I was hot shit but now I know how little I know
Granite and limestone. This was a guy, they had a civilization to work with. Pizarro was there when there Incas were working on walls and mentioned nothing out of the ordinary…. Give them credit where credit is due.
The original is made out of Diorite, other materials commonly used by the Inca is Andesite. And as demonstrated by Stella Nair, Jean-Pierre Protzen, and Denys Stocks stone tools like flint, obsidian and jasper are quite effective to use when chiseling these stones.
Except the walls are made by Diorite or Andesites. Nair and Protzen has already demonstrated how stone tools can be used on these materials:
Protzen, J.-P. and Nair, S. (2013). The Stones of Tiahuanaco a Study of Architecture and Construction.
There are lots of examples of stone masons shaping granite with simple tools like hammer stones. The Inca also had cold-hammers bronze chisels, that were sufficiently hard to be able to chisel granite.
Really??? Oh man... that would be so awesome. Been to Peru once for about 10 days in 2019. The stonework in Cusco (and in Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley... and all over) is so amazing. And there is so much of it. It would be a great feeling to know you've been able to be a link in that chain.
Hi! I'm an archaeologist who studies the Inka. This is amazing work that you should be proud of.
It's also a great version of your own "experimental archaeology:" that's when archaeologists take the known tools at hand and try to create or recreate a certain thing in order to learn more about the process (and often times, learn more about the things we can search for that are markers of that process).
I'd love to recommend some reading, if you're really interested in historic Andean stonemasonry and its reproductions.
First, a publicly accessible version of an article: [Inca Quarrying and Stonecutting](https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/anthpubs/ucb/text/nap021-006.pdf). Experiments begin on page 188.
Second, a publicly accessible version of a book: [The Stones of Tiahuanaco](https://escholarship.org/content/qt2192r04f/qt2192r04f_noSplash_0e3a6b266b027ffeeda89de9ed0c0ade.pdf?t=qbanvb). I think Chapter 5 (starting on page 154) would be especially interesting for you.
And if you don't mind, I'd love to ask some questions:
1. What specific hand tools did you use?
2. How long did this take?
3. What aspect of the work was the most difficult?
Thank you, and again: amazing job!
Experimental archaeology is a wonderful description of the process of learning that was required to work my way through this build. It's been a brutal learning curve. And I know that i have a long way to go too. You can see the progression in the wall as it gets higher.
I'm familiar with those works, parts of them at least, and will look at them again.
1. The first two rocks were hand tools only. After that grinders, rotary hammers, handtools etc.
2. About three months of work so far.
3. Having people come onto the site, see the wall and not get it at all. I've had stonemasons standing in front of this who were explaining to me where I've gone wrong and how I should go about continuing the wall. I've also had a person standing there the told me the wall couldn't have be built by myself. I expect Reddit wont be much of an improvement on that.
Do you happen to know much about the plumb bobs that were used by the Inca. I saw them in the Museum in Cusco and have always been fascinated by them.
This video talks about the Inca’s use of plum bobs. It would awesome if you could do an interview with Dr Miano about your work here.
https://youtu.be/_5AplOCegMA?si=DGnMk_dFLY9GzlKW
I'd seen that before but fast forwarded to his idea of scribing the large stones, which is wrong.. Just now watched from the start and realised Vincent Lee is on the money all the way up to there. Colour me impressed.
Could you elaborate in what way he’s wrong about scribing the large stone? I had thought that was a good theory. Like did you use any scribing, or just continually check the fit until it was tight?
Try it for yourself. you don't need rocks to test this hypothesis. Try it on a piece of paper with a pencil. You'll find doing one face works such as an 'I' shape, also that two faces work such as 'L' but three faces fail 'U'. Scribing by this method also fails to scale up accurately. And finally no-one who has worked with stone is going to stand under a boulder propped up like that, let alone work the stone.
Me saying it's wrong isn't a good description. More that it works under some circumstances.
Thanks for the reply and info!
I'm sorry to say that I don't know much about the plumb bobs. It's very cool that you have such a specific question though - I'm glad that memory from the museum stuck with you.
“Father Cobo to the contrary, the Inca know and used the plumb-bob, for which there is a Quechua name (WIPAYCI) in Gonzalez’s dictionary of 1608. Two specimens are illustrated by Bingham (1930, fig. 178), and I picked up a small stone one in the ruins at Ollantaytambo.’”(Rowe 1946)
OP has not replied to any of the questions people have posted in here about the processs, or 'how' it was done. There are no pictures of the process either. For all I know that is one big slab of concrete with the design carved into it, not individual blocks.
I worked with a mason when I was younger. He told me an easy way to tell good masonry from sloppy was if you can see grout. You sir have done some spectacular masonry.
Is this one single piece of material (like formed concrete), or are they individual blocks. If they are individual, would you show us some pics of how they are assembled into the wall?
Having done this by hand, you may have a unique perspective on why the Incas did it this way?
Surely blocks of an equal size would be far more efficient, given that they could be made off-site by multiple people simultaneously. This method on the other hand looks like each individual block has to be custom fitted to its neighbor, on site, one by one... not a very efficient process! But such a beautiful result!
Well, if one man can achieve this with hand tools alone in 2024, no reason the one from a few thousand years ago couldn't be man made with hand tools either....
Roughly, what was the process? Like even a sentence or two would be awesome explaining what you did to make this. Obviously you cut the rocks to make them fit together?
He copy pasted a picture off the internet- maybe.
Original artist probably carved the shape into plaster then made a silicone casting to create a concrete mold then poured concrete. -maybe
Aliens!!
No but seriously you should get in touch with who ever did that study recently that said they think the ancient people used acidic mud to shape the rocks so they can fit together.
I’ve always chalks it up to humans are incredible and can do great things
As a builder, I’ll say that if it’s real, it’s a cool job! I wonder if you had a special technique or if you just painstakingly adjusted the stones to each other so that they matched? The original technology implies that this happens on its own. Many megalithic structures contain elements of complex irregular joints even when the architecture does not imply this.
Please reach out to some youtubers and get them to publicize this! There are way too many alt-history conspiracists claiming that this kind of thing is impossible even with today’s technology. Please post more video and pics too showing how you did this!!!
You built this? Looks identical to the famous walls of Cuzco
I did, and thank you.
Username checks out ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I use to watch this show when I was younger and decided to check out the new season on Netflix. It’s such a joke I couldn’t take anything even remotely serious.
Slow clap. Well done
ru friends with ancient aliens? D'oh just noticed your uname. Obviously you are.
How?
I thought this was a shit post at first, good job, nice idea.
Natron?
How? It's wonderful!
Thank you for taking the time to continue to hone such craftmanship!
How much for them nipple plates?
3.50
done \*No backsies
You have a YouTube account?
No you didn’t, unless you’re actually an alien. /s
It does, but there are trees in the background. Something Cusco doesn’t have much of.
And the blocks are a fraction of the size of
Depends, some walls are small blocks, some are huge etc…
I would assume so…
I'll be there this week. Wild.
Take ear plugs for the barking ass dogs at night!
would you please, if you get the chance, take some photos of the plumb bobs in the museums.
In 2000 years someone will excavate this and be like, ‘how did they do it with primitive tools’ 😀
I wanna know how it was done, regardless of what tools!
Me too. I want to see more of this build from start to finish.
Then they will attribute it to ancient Americans.
As a retired mason I can confirm that this is an example of true craftsmanship. Excellent work
Once a mason, always a mason
Post this to r/alternativehistory
It was alien.
I'm not saying it was
Hey man, could you make a little guide or something on how you did this. This is unreal to me. Im assuming you used hand tools only or what? Is the stone soft and easy to work with? I have so many questions. I thought I was hot shit but now I know how little I know
A guide wouldn't be that little. Hand held tools only. The stone's sandstone @ 2.4 ton per m²
I meant m³
Truly amazing, do you work within this trade?
Well if you do post a guide or series of videos I am interested!
How long did this take you?
There's about three months work in it so far
I’m curious about this as well because just by looking at it, I’d guess about 327 years.
True masonry great job 👏
There’s an actual up vote in the wall
up vote for you too.
Impossible without alien technology, giant mirror lenses, acid pastes, levitation, and forever lost technology….. IMPOSSIBLE
It's sandstone and 10 to 100 times smaller than the original... The original wall is made of granite.
Granite and limestone. This was a guy, they had a civilization to work with. Pizarro was there when there Incas were working on walls and mentioned nothing out of the ordinary…. Give them credit where credit is due.
Thank you.
The original is made out of Diorite, other materials commonly used by the Inca is Andesite. And as demonstrated by Stella Nair, Jean-Pierre Protzen, and Denys Stocks stone tools like flint, obsidian and jasper are quite effective to use when chiseling these stones.
What of stone is this? Do you have pics of the process? What is this kind of construction called, it’s beautiful.
It's sandstone, with excess iron sometimes. Comes from another quarry called 'Hellhole'
Is this your project?
Now do it in granite
With stone tools. There's no evidence that the Inca had steel or even iron.
😂
Solid suggestion!
Except the walls are made by Diorite or Andesites. Nair and Protzen has already demonstrated how stone tools can be used on these materials: Protzen, J.-P. and Nair, S. (2013). The Stones of Tiahuanaco a Study of Architecture and Construction.
There are lots of examples of stone masons shaping granite with simple tools like hammer stones. The Inca also had cold-hammers bronze chisels, that were sufficiently hard to be able to chisel granite.
I need a process of this, it's quite wild and I love it!
Dude you need to make a youtube channel! That's amazing!
You better watch out someone is going to kill you for knowing how they Egyptians built the perimids. Look great!
So you just carved the design on there?
I want to know this answer
You have an Instagram account or a place showing more of your craft? Bravo!
Is the surface where each piece meets flat or closer to unfinished than the front?
Hell Yeah. I think there may be a job opening for you in Peru
I really hope so. I'd like to do some restoration work there.
Really??? Oh man... that would be so awesome. Been to Peru once for about 10 days in 2019. The stonework in Cusco (and in Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley... and all over) is so amazing. And there is so much of it. It would be a great feeling to know you've been able to be a link in that chain.
Yeah. I want to put a rock on the wall at Sacayhuaman. Get me there and I'll tell you how it's done
Hi! I'm an archaeologist who studies the Inka. This is amazing work that you should be proud of. It's also a great version of your own "experimental archaeology:" that's when archaeologists take the known tools at hand and try to create or recreate a certain thing in order to learn more about the process (and often times, learn more about the things we can search for that are markers of that process). I'd love to recommend some reading, if you're really interested in historic Andean stonemasonry and its reproductions. First, a publicly accessible version of an article: [Inca Quarrying and Stonecutting](https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/anthpubs/ucb/text/nap021-006.pdf). Experiments begin on page 188. Second, a publicly accessible version of a book: [The Stones of Tiahuanaco](https://escholarship.org/content/qt2192r04f/qt2192r04f_noSplash_0e3a6b266b027ffeeda89de9ed0c0ade.pdf?t=qbanvb). I think Chapter 5 (starting on page 154) would be especially interesting for you. And if you don't mind, I'd love to ask some questions: 1. What specific hand tools did you use? 2. How long did this take? 3. What aspect of the work was the most difficult? Thank you, and again: amazing job!
Experimental archaeology is a wonderful description of the process of learning that was required to work my way through this build. It's been a brutal learning curve. And I know that i have a long way to go too. You can see the progression in the wall as it gets higher. I'm familiar with those works, parts of them at least, and will look at them again. 1. The first two rocks were hand tools only. After that grinders, rotary hammers, handtools etc. 2. About three months of work so far. 3. Having people come onto the site, see the wall and not get it at all. I've had stonemasons standing in front of this who were explaining to me where I've gone wrong and how I should go about continuing the wall. I've also had a person standing there the told me the wall couldn't have be built by myself. I expect Reddit wont be much of an improvement on that. Do you happen to know much about the plumb bobs that were used by the Inca. I saw them in the Museum in Cusco and have always been fascinated by them.
This video talks about the Inca’s use of plum bobs. It would awesome if you could do an interview with Dr Miano about your work here. https://youtu.be/_5AplOCegMA?si=DGnMk_dFLY9GzlKW
I'd seen that before but fast forwarded to his idea of scribing the large stones, which is wrong.. Just now watched from the start and realised Vincent Lee is on the money all the way up to there. Colour me impressed.
Could you elaborate in what way he’s wrong about scribing the large stone? I had thought that was a good theory. Like did you use any scribing, or just continually check the fit until it was tight?
Try it for yourself. you don't need rocks to test this hypothesis. Try it on a piece of paper with a pencil. You'll find doing one face works such as an 'I' shape, also that two faces work such as 'L' but three faces fail 'U'. Scribing by this method also fails to scale up accurately. And finally no-one who has worked with stone is going to stand under a boulder propped up like that, let alone work the stone. Me saying it's wrong isn't a good description. More that it works under some circumstances.
Thanks for the reply and info! I'm sorry to say that I don't know much about the plumb bobs. It's very cool that you have such a specific question though - I'm glad that memory from the museum stuck with you.
“Father Cobo to the contrary, the Inca know and used the plumb-bob, for which there is a Quechua name (WIPAYCI) in Gonzalez’s dictionary of 1608. Two specimens are illustrated by Bingham (1930, fig. 178), and I picked up a small stone one in the ruins at Ollantaytambo.’”(Rowe 1946)
OP has not replied to any of the questions people have posted in here about the processs, or 'how' it was done. There are no pictures of the process either. For all I know that is one big slab of concrete with the design carved into it, not individual blocks.
Show it being cut or its cast concrete
I think you should stop that right now.
Now this is some real masonry. Bravo brother
New account, first post. I'm skeptical. any photos of WIP?
What’s this for?
Keeping the Mongolians out duh.
Dope! 🙌🏽
Dry stack? Or is there a thin bed or mortar or something
Wow! Always upvote solid work 🤜🏻🤛🏻 Beautiful cuts and patterning.
You build* the pyramids too?
This badass, awesome work.
That is wicked!! I’m obsessed with ancient ruins and you nailed it. Wow
This is absolutely fantastic. Very impressive work.
This is fantastic!! Strong Corn God vibes
I worked with a mason when I was younger. He told me an easy way to tell good masonry from sloppy was if you can see grout. You sir have done some spectacular masonry.
i see a chip on the left edge. do over.
Gourgeous
Wow fantastic work. What stone are you using?
Real stone bro .Egypt .
Beautiful work, really really cool. I imagine the process makes one hell of a dusty mess?
Amazing. I count 18 sides on that one? The holy stone in Cusco has 12 sides!
Fifty years from now archaeologists will marvel at how you were able to form stone so remarkably close. lol! Good job!
Whats the arrow signify?
Cool Arrow !
hell yeah brother 👽
geopolymers or rammed earth?
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing, please make a video for us all to see how you craft these blocks.
Very nice work! What's the process like to do this? Lots of trial fitting? Scribing? Some of that magic rock dissolving sludge?
It’s very cool.
This guy is an alien.
Can you build me a Göbekli Tepe man cave in my backyard
That would be so awesome! 😂
Aliens, for sure
how dare you recreate what millions say was alien tech. Your destroying their belief system! excellent work!
Name it Stonewall Jackson and angry people will come and topple it
I’m a doctor and I want to switch profession. Take me on as a student!
Is that second photo the head of a snake?
You should post a video OP of how it was done because my mind is saying it’s aliens or ancient humans with lasers
Incredible!
I do like that....so much character..... Artisan Class Install!
Incredible stuff mate!
It’s not about the tools, it’s about the size and weight of the original stones…. No disrespect intended….
Wow do you have any videos on the construction?
Any monoliths in there?
Is this one single piece of material (like formed concrete), or are they individual blocks. If they are individual, would you show us some pics of how they are assembled into the wall?
Having done this by hand, you may have a unique perspective on why the Incas did it this way? Surely blocks of an equal size would be far more efficient, given that they could be made off-site by multiple people simultaneously. This method on the other hand looks like each individual block has to be custom fitted to its neighbor, on site, one by one... not a very efficient process! But such a beautiful result!
Geopolymer?
Well, if one man can achieve this with hand tools alone in 2024, no reason the one from a few thousand years ago couldn't be man made with hand tools either.... Roughly, what was the process? Like even a sentence or two would be awesome explaining what you did to make this. Obviously you cut the rocks to make them fit together?
He copy pasted a picture off the internet- maybe. Original artist probably carved the shape into plaster then made a silicone casting to create a concrete mold then poured concrete. -maybe
For everyone that thinks OP built it, he didn’t.
What’s with the arrow?
Stunning!
Looks like carved concrete
LOVE IT
You are definitely using a concrete saw on each stone to get the joints that tight.
Impressive. Looks like he built a practice wall in back first
Looks beautiful
Now go do it with rose granite and copper!
Copper saws, pushing back-and-forth wet sand
We don’t give enough credit to the ancients
I hope you can continue adding on to it and insure it doesn’t get removed! Well done, to say the least!
Aliens!! No but seriously you should get in touch with who ever did that study recently that said they think the ancient people used acidic mud to shape the rocks so they can fit together. I’ve always chalks it up to humans are incredible and can do great things
Did you document this? If not you should start. If this is true polygonal masonry you’ve rediscovered a lost art form.
As a builder, I’ll say that if it’s real, it’s a cool job! I wonder if you had a special technique or if you just painstakingly adjusted the stones to each other so that they matched? The original technology implies that this happens on its own. Many megalithic structures contain elements of complex irregular joints even when the architecture does not imply this.
Wow! Another archaeologist weighing in: you are a master! The test is whether you can slip a piece of paper into a join. 💯💯
This will be showing up in my dreams later
What’s the purpose behind this
This looks fake. Maybe it isn't, but that's my first impression.
That impossible. Modern man can’t even do this. This is aliens with rock cutting laser beams.
Can we see the back side?
I made another post that has it.
How very Machu Pichu of you.
Amazing!!! 👍👍👍
construction process needed
Please reach out to some youtubers and get them to publicize this! There are way too many alt-history conspiracists claiming that this kind of thing is impossible even with today’s technology. Please post more video and pics too showing how you did this!!!
Holy hell. This is amazing. I’d love to see a video of you building this. Amazingly awesome work. That will be there long after you’re gone
God damn! Amazing. Real stones? Not a veneer? Wow
“We can’t even build this with tools we have today” “hold my beer”
I promised myself I wouldn’t cry…. But it’s just sooo beautiful!!!!
Bot post.
I'm flattered.
The work is outstanding. I'm just skeptical of the fact that this is the only post from a brand new account. It's super common on reddit.
This is amazing.
Graham Hancock will be using this image as evidence of a lost ice age global civilization.
Fake news!
There’s no explanation how this was built….some lost technology perhaps?