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.

Moray (Inca Ruins)

Posted by Alex, Thursday, 16th November 2006

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

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.

Here’s the very brief Wikipedia page.

Thanks to Josh E.

Countries: Peru

Posted in: Structures

6 Responses to 'Moray (Inca Ruins)'

1. milan says: November 17th, 2006 at 8:36 am
uf, it looks like E.T.
2. KarlC says: November 17th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
uh, yes, 15ÂºC = 59ÂºF but a 15ÂºC delta = 27ÂºF delta

Still, very cool.
3. Alex says: November 17th, 2006 at 10:31 pm
KarlC, thanks for the correction (not that I really understand it…!), however, surely “cool” would depend on where you were standing, right?
4. Russ says: November 18th, 2006 at 3:56 am
Alex, KarlC’s got a good point: the difference between 0C and 15C is 15 degrees C.

0C = 32F, 15C = 59F. So the difference (or delta) in Fahrenheit is 27F (59-32)…
5. Alex says: November 19th, 2006 at 7:40 pm
Russ, I now feel very stupid Thanks for explaining that, post updated!
6. koen says: November 21st, 2006 at 4:47 pm
I see the hand of some evil genius here: building giant circles for his doomsday device, blaming it on the IncaÂ´s and then stealing 32 degrees Fahrenheit…