Top: The carved curved rocks on Easter Island along the seaward wall at
Ahu Tahiri, Vinapu. Originally, it was one course higher; Bottom: The curved
walls at Sacsayhuaman above Cuzco in Peru. Note the fine stone carving and
identical work, completely fitted and interlocking in all the examples.
It should be kept in mind that
in the cases where such curved carving of huge stones has been used on both
Easter Island and at Sacsayhuaman and other Peruvian sites, there was really no
need to have done so. Especially in light of the time and labor required to
carve such large rocks. Yet in both areas the carving was done, which should
suggest that the same people did both carvings—that is, a people from one area
obviously settled in the other area, taking their talents with them and
expressing their work in their new homeland.
Another example, is in the
monolithic stonework in both locations. While there are other places in the
world where huge monolithic rock formations have been found dating far back
into pre-history, in the western hemisphere, there are very few. Mesoamerica is
one, though most of that stonework is square and stacked
In these five examples of Mesoamerica stonework on pyramids and walls
shows they used basically square stones stacked in rows,
On the other hand, the stones on
Easter Island are carved, fitted and interlocking. The sea wall of Ahu Hanga
Poukura, the wall of Ahu Vinapu, stonework of Ahu Tahira, Orongo, Akahanga, Ahu
Hanga Hahave, and other sites, all show a skill at stonework and show their
cuts and interlocking form. While the stonework on Easter Island is not as
precise as that of Sacsayhuaman in Peru, it is the same type of work. In fact
the Easter Islanders were skilled stonemasons, with ahus (platforms) as much as
500 feet long and 10 feet high, and the stones used weighed as much as 10 tons.
In addition, their original work was precise, and when viewed from the inland
side, not the ocean side, the fit is even better. In fact, they fitted almost
as exact as those of the stonework in Andean Peru.
These six wall carvings of interlocking stones on Easter Island show a
very similar technique to those of Peru (see below)
In Peru, as has been shown on
this site many times, the stonework has baffled modern builders since it was
first discovered in the 19th century. The exactness is beyond
imagination for the time and place, with no modern tools, cranes, lifts, or
other means of transporting, they moved stones weighing in the hundreds of
tons, carved them to an exact match, sometimes with so many angles it boggles
the mind.
The stonework of ancient Peru. Note the many angles and the tight, perfect
fit. The artisans were more proficient than those of Easter Island, but not
less talented
Again, large stonework is not
limited to Andean Peru and Easter Island; however, most stonework has a mark
and appearance of its own, including manner of stacking or interlocking, as
well as the size of stones. For all its magnificent, Stonehenge in England is
not a wall, but a circle of trilithon lintels; while Avebury are simply
free-standing monolithic stones.
Left: Stonehenge trilithon lintels; Right: Avebury, free-standing
stones; Bottom Left: Baalbek terrace monoliths laying on their side; Bottom
Right: The Orthostat megalith, Ireland, similar to many such Dolmens around the
world
However, in both Andean Peru and
Easter Island, the stonework involves stone masons, cutting, fitting, and
setting very large stones in place in an interlocking manner, which both
strengthens the structure (wall or building), but also helps ensure seismic
tolerance—a necessary requirement in the Andean area or rim of fire surrounding
the Pacific coasts.
Size is also involved in the comparison. Top Left: Huge stone wall
about 10-foot tall on Easter Island; Top Right: 10-12-foot stones in Peru;
Bottom Left: Free standing wall on Easter Island; Right: Free standing wall in
Peru. Note the similarity in placement of stones and manner of stacking
Another interesting similarity
found on Easter Island with that of Andean Peru, is the stonework terracing,
which is found all over Peru. In fact, the mountain terraces of the Andes,
which shows the highly organized human effort to turn mountain slopes into over-sized
“stairsteps” of narrow fields, each held up by a retaining wall, with each step
irrigated by water transported down the mountainside from springs, rivers, or
reservoirs. Sometimes, like in Peru, the transport involves a complex network
of canals, sluices, and (rock) pipes. All of this allows the field to be
cultivated with a minimum of soil erosion, which serves to keep the irrigation
water on the fields, and avoids runoff.
Top: Stonework terraces on Easter Island; Bottom: Stonework terraces in
Peru
The point is in all of this that
there are so many similarities between Andean Peru and Easter Island, that a
connection of the same ancient people settling both areas cannot be denied,
though archaeologists and anthropologists, who simply cannot bring themselves
to accept Easter Island (and Polynesia) being settled from the East (South
America), rather than their favorite scenario, from the Asian west, continue to
deny such a connection. It is also interesting that Thor Heyerdahl
pointed out that the totora reed (native to Lake Titicaca in South America)
that had somehow found its way into the crater lake on Easter Island. And he
should know, he used those reeds to build Kon Tiki, and especially the
follow-up drive voyage of the Ra expeditions.
Top: Thor Heyerdahl’s Ra Expeditions; Bottom: Two reed boats tied up
alongside the reed island in Lake Titicaca, where village huts, etc., are made
of reeds, and the entire island is all reeds
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