It is dawn and the camera discovers us on top of the massive ruins at Ollantaytambo in Peru. A series of giant terraces covers the lower half of a mountain and above the terraces, are several temples. Our team stands at the highest point of the temples. An archaeologist takes her place in the East ready to interrogate the accepted history of this site. A geologist  stands in the South eager to investigate the cyclopean masonry. A Quechua storyteller completes the team, standing in the West, anticipating the discovery of evidence to support ancient legends and myths. Everyone feels the warmth of the sun reflected off the six monolithic stone panels that tower over them as John Paul conducts the medicine wheel ceremony, asking permission for the group to be on this ancient land and to walk freely through this valley and learn the stories of this place. Our Quechua storyteller explains that this is the Temple of the Sun, dedicated to Inti the Sun God, who provides the warmth and light that crops need to grow. As the sun rises, the team praises the artistry of these ancient architects- the sun reflecting off the pick granite is a perfect tribute to a Sun God.

 

Now that we have light, the geologist invites the team to examine the perfectly cut stones more closely, as the great mystery of Ollantaytambo is how the ancient architects and builders worked with stones and water. Each of these large panels weighs over 50 tonnes, was cut with surgical precision to sit perfectly flat against the adjacent stones and was held in place without mortar. Between the panels are vertical bands of narrow rock, cleverly designed to absorb the pressure of earthquakes, so the wall stays intact. The team feels the granite- it looks rough but feels perfectly smooth, like glass. The archaeologist questions how the Incans could achieve this level of sophistication with only stone and bronze tools? She hypothesizes that the builders must have used some form of vitrification, a process used to make ceramics. The geologist explains that granite is filled with quartz which is piezo-electric, so it is emitting a slight electrical charge, and that this type of ‘charged’ stone is found in many megalithic sites. A further mystery is that the stones come from a quarry 5 kilometres away, on the other side of the Sacred Valley, across the Urubamba river and 1,000 feet up a mountain.

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The team takes the day to explore and question and contemplate the site. On the morning of the second day everyone gathers to make a list of anomalies and questions. The most potent inquiry is about the cyclopean masonry, so the team heads off to investigate these large stones. The cuttings at the quarry are very precise and are works of art in themselves. Even the most up to date technology and equipment would be stretched to reproduce the work of the ancient magicians who built Ollantaytambo. 

 

Our Archaeologist shows another type of stonework here; a rougher style which tries to replicate the finer earlier patterns, but the rocks are smaller and don’t fit together perfectly. Archaeologists consider the entire complex to be Incan and to have been occupied from around 1400 to 1500 CE, but they can’t explain older, finer stonework nor how the Incans could have created the larger and finer style of stonework with the tools that have been found. .

 

John Paul takes the team back up near the temple of the sun to see more extraordinary masonry at The Wall of Ten Niches. This long section of stone wall looks as though one stone has been cut and then the next stone cut to fit the shape of the first one perfectly, like a giant stone jigsaw puzzle. The masonry allows for ten niches which are all the same shape, despite the different rocks surrounding them. Again, the artistry is stunning.

 

The geologist asks the team if anyone has information to add to her knowledge? The archaeologist explains that this cyclopean style of masonry is found in ancient structures in Turkey, Mexico, Japan, South Africa and other South American countries. Archaeologists wonder whether knowledge of the technology travelled between these ancient sites and why this knowledge has been lost to later generations? Our storyteller tells of an ancient Quechua legend that acknowledges that these temples were already here when the Incan people arrived. They were built by Viracocha, the God who taught the people all the skills of civilisation, including how to build terraces. This complex was built by Viracocha and ‘the shining ones’ using a golden wedge..

 

John Paul had previously met a stone mason from the ancient days who worked on the site as it was being constructed. His time was that of Viracocha who came from the stars and lived here. The stone mason explained that the way they created the rocks was to levitate them, transport them and then melt them in order to shape them so they fit together neatly.

 

After an entire week exploring, investigating and theorising about stonework, the team is eager to investigate other sites, so John Paul takes them to the Water Temple to understand that these ancient architects were masters of taming water as well as stone. The team initially investigates a fountain where water from higher up the mountain flows out a carved spout into two water channels, one diverted to the water temple and one irrigating the terraces before flowing on to the village below.

 

The sophisticated stone complex, Incamisana, consists of rooms, open spaces, a beautiful complex of pools, fourteen fountains, waterfalls and buried channels. The stonework has an art-deco feel to it, featuring elegant square mantles. The Quechua storyteller reminds everyone that their legends say this complex was here when the Inca arrived. John Paul had communicated with a spirit who worked at the Baño de la Ñusta fountain and he explained how the water was filtered and purified before reaching the bathers. 

 

The team follows the water canals down the 17 terraces. The terraces were built with ancient stones on the bottom, topped up with the rougher Incan style stonework. Internally, the terraces have layers of gravel and sand with soil on the top. There is evidence of substantial knowledge of the agricultural engineering necessary to balance the capture and release of water with managing the optimal amount of sun required to produce healthy crops. Our storyteller says Viracocha taught the people how to use the terraces and harness the water for agriculture.

 

The water canals lead to the village of Ollantaytambo. The team has arrived on the auspicious occasion of the summer solstice. While the town prepares for the festival of Inti Raymi, the team investigates how the village is built on top of an ancient waterway. On the sides of some streets there are channels containing rushing fresh water which has travelled a long distance from the mountain. The villagers say the water never floods the town and that is it always running and fresh. John Paul had communicated with the spirit of an ancient water engineer who spoke about the size and length of the water channels that enable water to flow regardless of the time of year.  He explained that in order to keep the water flowing, the village must continually use it. The geologist confirms that the canal system has the capacity of about 5 million gallons per day from the mountain streams. John Paul explains that having running water in the town reflects sound shamanic practice, as running water cleanses and creates calmness and health.  

 

As the festival kicks off the team discusses the cultural connection these people have with their environment, the sun, the stones and the water. The Quechua storyteller describes ancient times in Cusco, when 25,000 people would gather to mark the start of the Incan calendar year. As the team members join the festivities, they observe how the residents of Ollantaytambo have combined their ancient pagan past with modern Christianity.

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The team climbs to the temple of the sun just before the sun disappears behind the mountain. As John Paul prepares the site for the closing Medicine Wheel ceremony, the team confirms that the legends and evidence raise doubt regarding the theory that the Incas built Ollantaytambo in the fifteenth century.  Each member of the team steps onto the Medicine Wheel with a statement of what they knew a fortnight ago and what they know now. Almost on cue, the sunset reveals a stone face, maybe that of Viracocha, on the mountain.