UnchartedX Podcast! Cusco and Sacsayhuaman with Matt from Ancient Architects and the Snake Bros!

TL;DR

This UnchartedX video podcast is a collaboration between Ben of UnchartedX, the Snake Brothers, and Matt Simpson from the Ancient Architects channel, taking an in-depth look at Sacsayhuaman and Cusco in Peru. The site layers several architectural styles on top of each other, from megalithic to Inca to colonial Spanish to modern. Matt, a geologist who tested rock samples for Britain's Beagle 2 Mars mission, brings a stone-focused eye to the famous zigzag wall and the sharp gap between the megalithic work and the rougher Inca repairs. Read on for what makes this site so enigmatic.

Transcript

hello all and welcome back to uncharted x this is ben this video is another video podcast that i've done with the snake brothers and we were also joined by my good friend matt simpson from the ancient architects channel i'm sure many of you know about his channel if you somehow don't definitely go and check it out there's a link to that below we ar... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤑 Saksayhuaman and Cusco exhibit a rich history of architectural styles, including megalithic, Inca, colonial Spanish, and modern.
• 🖤 The lack of written records and the destruction caused by the Spanish conquest have made it challenging to fully understand the purpose and construction techniques of Saksayhuaman.
• 😒 The site showcases the deep connection between ancient civilizations and their environment, as evidenced by the use of local and imported stone materials.
• 💦 The megalithic work at Saksayhuaman highlights the extraordinary skill and precision of the builders.

Questions & Answers

Q: Is this a collaboration between UnchartedX and Ancient Architects?

Yes. This is a video podcast hosted by Ben of UnchartedX, recorded with the Snake Brothers (Brothers of the Serpent) and joined by Matt Simpson from the Ancient Architects channel. It is described as their third UnchartedX and Brothers of the Serpent swap cast, and this time they pivot from Egypt to South America to examine Sacsayhuaman and Cusco.

Q: Who is Matt from Ancient Architects and what background does he bring?

Matt Simpson runs the Ancient Architects YouTube channel. He has an undergraduate degree and a master's degree in geology, and during his master's he worked on Britain's Beagle 2 mission to Mars, testing rock samples at the National Space Center. That mission crashed, around Christmas Day 2004, but the geology background helps him analyze rock types and structures at ancient sites.

Q: What architectural styles can you see at Sacsayhuaman and in Cusco?

Cusco and Sacsayhuaman pile several styles on top of one another: megalithic, Inca, colonial Spanish, and modern. Ben notes there are three distinct styles of South American architecture that tend to appear in a consistent order, which is clearer here than at many other sites. The starkest contrast is between the megalithic work and the rougher, smaller primitive stonework used to repair and sit on top of it.

Q: What is the significance of the zigzag walls at Sacsayhuaman?

The zigzag wall is the feature almost everyone has seen at Sacsayhuaman, but Ben stresses that the site is much bigger than just that wall. It showcases precision joinery and unique shaping in its megalithic stonework. The full purpose of the walls remains a subject of debate.

Q: Were the stones used at Sacsayhuaman quarried locally?

Some stones were sourced locally while others were transported from a distance, such as granite from a quarry roughly 30 kilometers away. This points to significant effort and planning in the construction. The use of both local and imported stone reflects the builders' deep connection to their environment.

Q: Is there evidence of a civilization older than the Inca in the Cusco area?

Ben argues that Cusco itself was originally a megalithic city that fairly obviously predated the Inca. The clear gap between the refined megalithic work and the rougher stonework attributed to the Inca suggests an older builder culture. He notes you can trace how the megalithic construction once ran down the hill from Sacsayhuaman into Cusco.

Q: Why is Sacsayhuaman so hard to fully understand today?

There are no written records explaining who built the megalithic structures or how, and the Spanish conquest caused significant destruction and changes to the site. Because of that, the purpose and construction techniques of Sacsayhuaman remain difficult to reconstruct, leaving much of it open to debate.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Saksayhuaman is a captivating architectural site in Cusco, Peru, known for its incredible megalithic and Inca-style structures.

• The city of Cusco itself showcases a mix of architectural styles, including megalithic, Inca, colonial Spanish, and modern.

• The construction of Saksayhuaman reflects different phases of building and architecture, with evidence of both megalithic work and later Inca repairs and additions.