The Pyramid Effect
First off Id like to say, that the Incas were probably the most fascinating native Americans of all. They had the largest empire of all, spanning from southern Colombia to southern Chile. They had a giant road system that spanned from one end to the other; and were also famous for there temples. Because they had no written language, all we really know about them is what we have learned from the period after the Spanish conquest (Which isnt really all that much). But, onward to the famous question How were the pyramids built so that not even A RAZOR BLADE COULD FIT INBETWEEN THE BLOCKS? I have compiled here for you three possible solutions to this common question.
But before we can figure out the placement of the blocks, we have to figure out how to get them there. So, my first hypothesis, Did the Incas drag the blocks from the river beds (Their first resting place) all the way to the pyramid construction site? To test this thoroughly, wed have to do several tests. One, wed have to get a bunch of people (Only people because the Incas did not posses strong animals) and try to drag the block across the dirt to a fixed point. It was quite hilly in that region, so dragging a two-ton block down a forty-five degree hill is NOT a very good idea; so this test proved inconclusive. The second and third test would be to drag it in different environments, to see how that would go. The first would be the river it self. Strapping some ropes wed proceed down the river. Dragging a huge block was surprisingly easy, perhaps because of the slippery rocks. The second test would be to drag it across some similar roads as the Incas had during their period. This too proved to be very easy and could also be a possibility. Although the blocks used werent anywhere near the weight that the Incas used, with more manpower, it could possibly be done.
Another hypothesis (quite whack if you ask me) is that the Incas used a highly reflective warped piece of gold to melt (yes, I said melt) the rock to form exact angles to fit the blocks in exact form. These blocks are FIFTY TONS AND UP, so this form of shaping would have to be extremely accurate because they are not going to lift these blocks up and down all day to see if it fits correctly. The test was inconclusive due to it not being hot enough outside.
Another hypothesis, dramatically more reasonable, is that The Incas used an angle tool to chip away the sides to an almost exactly flat surface. To test this we would have to build a replica of this tool and use it accurately. After about a day of chiseling and comparing angles, it came to about the best it could. It was surprisingly accurate and compared reasonably to the real thing. The only difference here is that he was using a light (compared to the real thing) block instead of a fourteen ton rock; although it could be done. That well concludes my report, so lets see the final stats, eh?
Well, these are all very hard hypotheses to prove, because the Incas never recorded how they constructed the pyramids because this was simple every day life to them. Perhaps they dragged the blocks to the site, or maybe they built ramps from mud and things. Maybe they chiseled the blocks, or maybe they even melted them away (humor there). We may never know
