Moray

Moray is an Inca archaeological site on a high plateau at 3,500 m elevation, northwest of Cusco, Peru, featuring concentric circular terraces descending up to 150 m deep. Believed to have functioned as an agricultural research laboratory, each terrace created its own microclimate with temperature differences of up to 15 degrees C between top and bottom. The Inca imported soils from diverse regions and tested over 250 plant species including potatoes, quinoa, and maize. Discovered from the air in 1932, the site may date in part to the earlier Wari culture (6th-10th c.).