Moray
( qu, Muray) is an archaeological site in
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
approximately northwest of
Cuzco
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...
on a high plateau at about and just west of the village of
Maras. The site contains
Inca
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
ruins, mostly consisting of several terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is approximately deep. As with many other Inca sites, it also has an irrigation system.
The purpose of these depressions is uncertain, but their depth, design, and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 5 °C (9 °F) between the top and the bottom.
Erosion threats to structure
During the rainy season of 2009–2010, the
Department of Cusco
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
received high levels of precipitation that are atypical, which caused permanent damage to the ruins of Moray. The terraced levels of the complex, which are constructed from stone and compacted earth, were damaged extensively as the excessive rain waters undermined the ground beneath the structure.
The eastern side of the principal circle collapsed during February 2010, causing concerns about the permanence of the site as a top
tourist attraction in Peru
Since the 2000s, Tourism in Peru makes up the nation's third largest industry, behind fishing and mining. Tourism is directed towards archaeological monuments, ecotourism in the Peruvian Amazon, cultural tourism in colonial cities, gastronom ...
. A temporary wooden support structure was erected to prevent further collapse until reconstruction work could begin.
According to travel writer Paul Jones,
[Jones, Paul J (2012) author and travel writer, ]
Peru Guide (the only)
', the online guide to Peru. "Although repair work at Moray continues to restore the site to its original state, lack of funds and continuing annual rainfall hinder progress. This interesting archaeological site which forms an important part of tourism to the region continues to be at risk of further degradation, should the repair work not be completed and maintained for the future years."
Origin
This landmark is widely agreed to have been used for farming, and soil samples have shown that soils were brought in from different regions to be used in helping grow crops at the different levels of the terraces. The wide temperature differences in the terraces have created micro climates, similar to what is achieved in greenhouses in modern times, and is believed to have been used by the Incas to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops.
The landmark also looks similar to an open pit mine. After the mining was done, the Incas could have reinforced the walls to prevent landslides, and started to grow crops on the terraces.
''Chile losing its competitive edge in exploration'' Mining IR, 3 May 2019 at miningir.com
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See also
* Vertical archipelago The vertical archipelago is a term coined by sociologist and anthropologist John Victor Murra under the influence of economist Karl Polanyi to describe the native Andean agricultural economic model of accessing and distributing resources. While som ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Archaeological sites in Peru
Archaeological sites in Cusco Region