Marcahuasi
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Marcahuasi () is a plateau in the
Andes Mountains The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the List of mountain ranges#Mountain ranges by length, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range i ...
, 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 above sea level and is known for its unusual geological formations; curious shapes of human faces and animals visible in granite rock.


Discovery

The place was first 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. The place is located at a height of about in the Andes Mountain.


Features

The plateau originated from a volcanic reaction. It is about in area, and sits at an elevation of almost in
Huarochirí Province Huarochirí Province (in hispanicized spelling) or Waruchiri is located in the Lima Region of Peru. Its capital is Matucana. The western section is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area. Geography The La Viuda and Paryaqaqa or Waruchiri mountain ...
, 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. 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 The Badlands Guardian is a geomorphological feature located near Medicine Hat in the southeast corner of Alberta, Canada. The feature was discovered in 2005 by Lynn Hickox through use of Google Earth. Description Viewed from the air, the fea ...
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 The Old Man of the Mountain, also called the Great Stone Face and the Profile, was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States, that appeared to be the jagged profile of a human face when v ...
, 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 * Marcahuasi (Markawasi) Stone Forest, Lima, Peru o
Google Maps


References


Bibliography

* Mazzotti Lopez, Daniel (2001). ''A mochila en Perú (Backpacking in Peru)'
Peruvian explorers
* Video: ''Marcahuasi: Enigmatic Stones in the Peruvian Andes'' *Doore, Kathy (2008)
Markawasi: Peru's Inexplicable Stone Forest
*Williamson, George Hunt (1973)
Road in the Sky
{{Authority control Landforms of Lima Region Geomorphology Plateaus of Peru Rock formations of Peru