Posted on 06/24/2015 8:52:00 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Interesting!
There is a theory that the stones at Puma Punku had the same treatment.
"Tiwanaku monumental architecture is characterized by large stones of exceptional workmanship. In contrast to the masonry style of the later Inca, Tiwanaku stone architecture usually employs rectangular ashlar blocks laid in regular courses. Their monumental structures were frequently fitted with elaborate drainage systems. The drainage systems of the Akapana and Pumapunku structures include conduits composed of red sandstone blocks held together by ternary (copper/arsenic/nickel) bronze architectural cramps. The I-shaped architectural cramps of the Akapana were created by cold hammering of ingots. In contrast, the cramps of the Pumapunku were created by pouring molten metal into I-shaped sockets.[19] The blocks have flat faces that do not need to be fitted upon placement because the grooves make it possible for the blocks to be shifted by ropes into place. The main architectural appeal of the site comes from the carved images and designs on some of these blocks, carved doorways, and giant stone monoliths.[20]"
Metal working has been around since the 3rd or 4th generation of humans.
(Gen 4:22)
Didn’t the Spanish loot South America for like 300 years of gold and silver.
An old friend of mine is a huge fan of TVZ. I’ve never been thunderstruck by him, and really can’t stand his protege’, Steve Earle.
Thanks blam!
These cups do look like silver, but I can’t remember if the article sez what they are. Looking for gold and silver was the big attraction for the conquistadors, and the Bolivian silver mines were (maybe still are) the richest in the world. Colonial Spanish mining continued for 350 years, and only hit a bump, it sez here, during a worldwide silver glut in the 1890s. Tin mining also went on there, and extraction in other locales in the world probably caught on in large part because the entrance to the Potosi mines are at 13,000 feet elevation.
Pedantic sidebar — Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid infamously fled to Bolivia because of the continuing mining activity. This resulted in their getting ambushed and killed by the Bolivian army. There has been romantic speculation that one or both of them escaped and returned under assumed names to the US. As it happens, the surviving letters from Butch all antedate the Bolivian ambush. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Butch had at least one brother with whom he was often confused (and vice versa), and during his twilight years that brother apparently passed himself off as Butch from time to time.
I've read some accounts from conquistadors who described some Incan objects that were apparently never captured by the Spanish. One was the "Golden Chain of Huascar" which was supposed to be a couple of hundred feet long and made from gold (otherwise I suppose it would have been called the "silver chain of Huascar"). This chain was said to have been hidden in the bottom of a lake to keep it from Huascar's brother, Atahualpa, during their power struggle.
Some of the buildings in Cuzco were said to be clad in silver and gold foil, before the Spaniards stripped it all off. Must have been quite a sight.
What/who is TVZ?
Whoops, sorry, I thought it pointed to #19’s content. [blush]
PrecolumBling!
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