Inca captured a natural spring and built a pump-free gravity system carrying fresh water fountain by fountain through Machu Picchu. Its stones withstood quakes on a fault.
Machu Picchu's gravity-fed water system and earthquake-resistant construction
PeruArchitecture
Key facts
- The Inca captured a natural spring hidden in the mountain and engineered a gravity-fed water system that carried fresh water fountain by fountain without pumps
- Machu Picchu is located above a U-turn of the Urubamba River, providing access to fresh water while protecting the site from floods
- The site sits on top of an earthquake fault line
- The Inca construction techniques allowed the stones to withstand tectonic shifts with minimal damage
- Earthquakes may have exposed better building stone materials that the Inca utilized
Site mentioned
Sources
paleoseismicity.org
Linked in video description
education.nationalgeographic.org
Linked in video description
Water Fountains and Inca Channels of Machu Picchuperusites.com
The spring: the origin of the water · The main channel: 749 meters of precision · The sixteen fountains: the distribution system · The drainage ...
Tipón Engineering: Masterpiece of the Incaswatershapes.com
The Incas clearly believed that certain water sources were sacred — especially springs. Many irrigation systems were designed not only for ...
Machu Picchu Water Managementancientengrtech.wisc.edu
The ancient city of Machu Picchu uses a water source of natural springs that are located on the north slope of the mountain of Machu Picchu [4].
Machu Picchu Water System: Inca Hydraulic Engineeringmachutravelperu.com
Spring water intake: A 749-meter-long stone channel with a precise gradient ranging from 1.0% to 4.8%. · Staircase of fountains: A series of 16 ...
Machu Picchu's Water Systemomrania.com
The city's builders captured and regulated the flow of a spring through a system of conduits and fountains, adding drainage and flood-prevention ...
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.