Archive for November 16th, 2006

Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Moray (Inca Ruins)

Thursday, 16th November 2006 by Alex

Nearby to the previously posted Machu Picchu, Peru, is a very unusual archaeological site - the strangely beautiful Inca ruins of Moray.

moray1.jpg

The concentric rings clearly visible were farming terraces with a sophisticated irrigation system, constructed inside enormous natural depressions in the landscape. Supposedly the Incas built them here to experiment with the different farming conditions the landscape accommodates, as the annual temperature difference between the top and bottom can be up to 15°C (27°F).

Which is fairly impressive given that even this largest depression is only 30 metres (100 feet) deep.

moray2.jpg

Here’s the very brief Wikipedia page.

Thanks to Josh E.