The Torreón of Machu Picchu: an astronomical observatory?

Jacek Kościuk


Faculty of Architecture, Arts and Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0623-8071

Mariusz Ziółkowski

mziolkowski@uw.edu.pl
Centre for Andean Studies, University of Warsaw (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4137-0799

Abstract

The Torreón is one of the most emblematic buildings of Machu Picchu. Since 1929, different archaeoastronomical studies have been carried out on this building to verify its function as an astronomical observatory. The authors of the present text analyse in detail these hypotheses using a thorough survey of the structure created from 3D scans and digitised models. The analysis concludes that we can take as established evidence that the builders of the tower designed it according to some solar orientations, but without the purpose of erecting an astronomical observatory as was apparent in the cases of Intimachay and Inkaraqay.


Keywords:

Inca astronomy, Machu Picchu, 3D laser scanning

Aveni Anthony F., On Seeing the light: A Reply to Here Comes the Sun by Dearborn and Schreiber, Archaeoastronomy: Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, 1988, Vol. 10, pp. 22−24.
  Google Scholar

Astete Victoria Fernando, Mariusz Ziółkowski and Jacek Kościuk, On Inca astronomical instruments: the observatory at Inkaraqay – El Mirador (National Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu, Peru), Estudios Latinoamericanos, Sociedad polaca de Estudios Latinoamericanos, Warszawa 2016/17, vol. 36/37, pp. 9−25.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36447/Estudios2017.v36-37.art1   Google Scholar

Bingham Hiram, The Yale Peruvian Expedition: Preliminary Report, The Geographical Journal , Mar., 1912, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Mar., 1912), pp. 235−241.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1778437   Google Scholar

Bingham Hiram, Machu Picchu, a citadel of the Incas; report of the explorations and excavations made in 1911, 1912 and 1915 under the auspices of Yale University and the National Geographic Society. London 1930, H. Milford, Oxford University Press, Memoirs of the National Geographic Society, no. 1.
  Google Scholar

Canuti Paolo et all, Monitoring, Geomorphological Evolution and Slope Stability of Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu: Results from Italian INTERFRASI project; in: K. Sassa, P. Canuti (eds.), Landslides – Disaster Risk Reduction, Springer-Verlag Berlin – Heidelberg 2009.
  Google Scholar

Czerner Rafał and Martusewicz Jacek, The results of research conducted by the polish archaeological and conservation mission sent by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Republic of Poland) in the area of the archaeological park of Machu Picchu (Peru), Estudios Latinoamericanos, Warszawa 2012, vol. 32, pp. 131−191.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36447/Estudios2012.v32.art7   Google Scholar

Dearborn David S.P. and White Raymond E., Archaeoastronomy at Machu Picchu; in: Aveni, A., and Urton, G. (eds.), Ethnoastronomy and Archaeoastronomy in the American Tropics, Vol. 385, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, New York 1982, pp. 249−259.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1982.tb34268.x   Google Scholar

Dearborn David S.P. and White Raymond E., The Torreon at Machu Picchu as a Solar Observatory, Archaeoastronomy n° 5, supplement to the Journal for the History of Astronomy, 1983, vol. 14, pp. 37−49.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002182868301400502   Google Scholar

Dearborn David S.P. and Schreiber Katherina, Here Comes the Sun: The Cuzco-Machu Picchu Connection, Archaeoastronomy. Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, 1986, 9, pp. 15−37.
  Google Scholar

Hyslop John, Inka Settlement Planning. University of Texas Press. Kindle Edition: Chapter 8: Orientation and Alignment: Astronomical Concerns; Subchapter: Windows, Light, and Shadow Casting at Machu Picchu, 2014.
  Google Scholar

Kendall D.G., Hunting quanta, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Science”, Vol. 276, No. 1257, 1974, pp. 231−266.
  Google Scholar

Klokočník Jaroslav, Kostelecký Jan, Hanzalová Karolína, Astronomical-Solar Orientation of Inca Features in Yurac Rumi, Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo, Peru. Presentation at SEAC 2012 Conference, Lubliana 24−29 Septembre 2012. Internet source: http://www.asu.cas.cz/~jklokocn/PPT_Ljubljana_YuracRumi_etc_Klokocnik_etal_2012.ppt (accesed 12.11.2020).
  Google Scholar

Kubicka A., Zastosowanie metody cosine quantogram do analizy metrologicznej kompleksu Machu Picchu/Application of a cosine quantogram method in the metrological analysis of the Machu Picchu settlement, Doctoral thesis submitted to the Faculty of Architecture, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław 2019.
  Google Scholar

Malville John McKim, Machu Picchu; in: C.L.N. Ruggles (ed.), Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015, pp. 879−891.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6141-8_254   Google Scholar

Müller Rolf, Die Intiwatana (Sonnenwarten) im alten Peru mit 8 Abbildungen und 6 Figuren, Baessler-Archiv. Beitäge zur Völkerkunde, Band XIII (Alfred Maass, ed.), Berlin 1929, 178−187 (internet source: https://www.digi-hub.de/viewer/fullscreen/1500547264653/492/.
  Google Scholar

Müller Rolf, Sonne, Mond und Sterne über dem Reich der Inka. Springer-Verlag Berlin – Heidelberg 1972.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-95223-4   Google Scholar

Pakkanen Jari, Deriving ancient foot units from building dimensions: A statistical approach employing cosine quantogram analysis; in: G. Burenhult, J. Arvidsson (eds.), Archaeological Informatics: Pushing the Envelope, Proceedings of the 29th CAA conference 2001, pp. 501−506.
  Google Scholar

Rostworowski de Diez Canseco, María, Mediciones y Cómputos en el Antiguo Perú, Cuadernos Prehispánicos No 6, Seminario Americanista, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid 1978.
  Google Scholar

Salazar Garces Erwin, Astronomia Inka. Arqueoastronomía & etnoastronomía. Museo Andres del Castillo, Lima 2014.
  Google Scholar

s.n. (sine nomine), Machu Picchu. Catálogo de la colección, Lima 2011, p. 171, (Photo: Herman Trucker).
  Google Scholar

White Raymond, Field Expedition to Machu Picchu. Archaeoastronomy; Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, 1981, vol. IV, number 2.
  Google Scholar

Ziółkowski Mariusz, Kościuk Jacek, Astronomical observations in the Inca Temple of Coricancha (Cusco)? A critical review of the hypothesis. Teka Komisji Architektury, Urbanistyki i Studiów Krajobrazowych Tom XIV/1, Lublin 2018, pp. 7−33.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35784/teka.1737   Google Scholar

Ziółkowski Mariusz, Kościuk Jacek, Astete Victoria Fernando, Astronomical observations at Intimachay (Machu Picchu): a new approach to an old problem, Anthropological Notebooks, 2013, Vol. 19, 391−404.
  Google Scholar

Ziółkowski Mariusz, Bastante Abuhadba José, Hogg Alan, Sieczkowska Dominika, Rakowski Andrzej, Pawlyta Jacek, ­Manning Sturt, When did the Incas build Machu Picchu and its satellite sites? New approches based on radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon, First View, Cambridge University Press, 2020, pp. 1–15. Online edition: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/radiocarbon/article/when-did-the-incas-build-machu-picchu-and-its-satellite-sites-new-approches-based-on-radiocarbon-dating/10254F52B68EAC0960DB85D91BB66593.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2020.79   Google Scholar

Download


Published
2020-12-30

Cited by

Kościuk, J., & Ziółkowski, M. (2020). The Torreón of Machu Picchu: an astronomical observatory?. Teka Komisji Architektury, Urbanistyki I Studiów Krajobrazowych, 16(4), 7–31. https://doi.org/10.35784/teka.2451

Authors

Jacek Kościuk 

Faculty of Architecture, Arts and Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0623-8071

Authors

Mariusz Ziółkowski 
mziolkowski@uw.edu.pl
Centre for Andean Studies, University of Warsaw Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4137-0799

Statistics

Abstract views: 512
PDF downloads: 324