The Walls of Peru – Part I City Walls and Enclosures

Stone walls are not unique in Andean Peru, but rather quite common. Most known walls are connected with ancient settlement areas, such as walls around cities, walls that later cultures built upon. These walls were almost always built with fitted stones, sometimes carved and dressed, sometimes rounded boulders with one or two sides fitted.

Ancient drystone walls built in Andean Peru and laid without mortar

Often, however, Andean walls were built with unique and specific fittings with an exactness not often seen elsewhere. In fact, the precision of the workmanship needed to achieve the flawlessly flush joints between the massive polygonal blocks which have been perfectly fitted together without mortar, is without peer elsewhere. Each block fits flush with the next, matching the edges of its neighboring blocks, fitted together with what seems to be an apparent ease expressed continuously across a very large complex.

Perfectly fitted stones, uniquely angled, cut and dressed to fit and withstand earthquakes and other acts of nature

The sides of the multi-faceted blocks fit very tightly together, and it is true that a knife blade cannot be slid between any joint. These ancient builders managed to shape and move these massive stone blocks with a high standard of accuracy that is basically baffling. Today, not even the most experienced stonemasons can figure out how these ancients made the sides of the blocks so perfectly receptive of each other. It is unknown if they shaped the blocks before they put them in place, or as part of the process of actually fitting them together. Nor is it known if they used huge, burdensome blocks and pulleys to hoists them in place, or a log stacking method suggested in most theories.
    Some walls are built with strong bases, but not meant for defense, since they are easily broken through at the top. These are most likely boundary walls or bases for walled buildings enclosing multi-roomed spaces.

Large, heavy stones for the base, but gradually moving toward small, unstable stones at the top

The point of this is to show that different walls can and were built anciently, with each serving a specific purpose. To lumps all walls together and claim they were built the same and for the same purpose is simply irresponsible, and misleads others into making inaccurate and even erroneous assumptions.
    While all walls may well be meant to deter some one or some thing from passing or entering, all cannot be considered defensive walls to withstand a concentrated attack from an enemy army. Obviously, some walls were built strictly for security as an extension of small forts or fortresses.
    As said of Moroni in 72 BC: “Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land” (Alma 48:8).
    Also, seven years later in 65 BC, he built walls that were obviously for defense, not just to enclose the Nephites within and keep the Lamanites without, but provide a means of withstanding an attack with walls obviously high enough to provide an advantage to those within.
    “They were prepared that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city” (Alma 52:5).
    It should be noted and clearly understood that a timber wall is not a wall wherein a defender could stand upon and cast stones at an enemy below. Timber walls, as the scriptural record points out, are not sufficient for such footing and protection for such activity as Mormon describes.
    On the other hand, other walls were built with more temporary concerns in mind, or to swiftly provide a means of defense against an interim threat.

Some construction of these walls were more temporary in nature, built of wood above ditches where the time to dress and fit stones was not possible or desired

“And he caused that they should build a breastwork of timbers upon the inner bank of the ditch; and they cast up dirt out of the ditch against the breastwork of timbers; and thus they did cause the Lamanites to labor until they had encircled the city of Bountiful round about with a strong wall of timbers and earth, to an exceeding height. And this city became an exceeding stronghold ever after; and in this city they did guard the prisoners of the Lamanites; yea, even within a wall which they had caused them to build with their own hands. Now Moroni was compelled to cause the Lamanites to labor, because it was easy to guard them while at their labor; and he desired all his forces when he should make an attack upon the Lamanites” (Alma 53:4-5)
    Such interim walls were often to secure the city at night, by closing off an entrance gate and deny secret foray or hidden incursion under cover of darkness of an enemy. Such wooden walls were typically meant to deter enemy contact, such as a city wall meant to deny entrance to ones not welcome, or those who threatened the occupants, but were not meant to withstand an all-out enemy onslaught.
    The overall result of all of Moroni’s building efforts was a combined temporary and permanent construction, meant to safeguard the cities and the land of the Nephites from the constant incursions and attacks of the Lamanite: “Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land” (Alma 50:6).

Upper Left: The walled city of Old Jerusalem; Upper right: Walled city of Ovdat (south of Beer Sheva); Lower left: Shivta, an ancient city in the Negev desert south of Jerusalem; Lower right: the walled city of Samaria in northern Israel

It should be noted, however, that most defensive walls, such as those surrounding a city, were built of stone throughout Palestine from which Lehi, Nephi, Sam, and Zoram came and who would have considered walls and cities were to be built of stone.
    “And when the night came, Moroni went forth in the darkness of the night, and came upon the top of the wall to spy out in what part of the city the Lamanites did camp with their army…they were on the east, by the entrance; and they were all asleep. And now Moroni returned to his army, and caused that they should prepare in haste strong cords and ladders, to be let down from the top of the wall into the inner part of the wall…Moroni caused that his men should march forth and come upon the top of the wall, and let themselves down into that part of the city, yea, even on the west, where the Lamanites did not camp with their armies…[the Nephites] were all let down into the city by night, by the means of their strong cords and their ladders; thus when the morning came they were all within the walls of the city. And when the Lamanites awoke and saw that the armies of Moroni were within the walls, they were affrighted exceedingly, insomuch that they did flee out by the pass” (Alma 62:20-24).
    “That Teancum in his anger did go forth into the camp of the Lamanites, and did let himself down over the walls of the city” (Alma 63:36)
    To have needed ladders, and let down within by ropes, we are talking stone walls, sturdy enough to climb upon, high enough to require ladders, and too high to jump down from, so ropes were needed to lower them into the city.
(See the next post, “The Walls of Peru – Part II Defensive Walls,” for more on the Nephite construction of walls and their purpose)