The innovative technology that powered the Inca

Finally, the andenes, stockpiles and quipus assisted the Inca to steadily broaden an empire that eventually dominated a terrific swath of South America, encompassed 12 million persons and developed majestic citadels this kind of as Machu Picchu.

But the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th Century activated the overthrow of the Inca and the drop of the andenes. Colonial violence, epidemics of European diseases and pressured displacement devastated the indigenous populations of the central Andes. European crops and agriculture tactics were introduced and speedily distribute all over the region.

Nonetheless although several andenes have been abandoned or fell into disrepair, they under no circumstances disappeared totally. Drawing on understanding passed down over the generations, a lot of Andean farmers keep on to use them these days, and however normally overlooked by travellers, they continue to be a prevalent sight in sites these as Isla del Sol and the broader Titicaca area, the Sacred Valley in the vicinity of Machu Picchu, and the Colca Canyon in southern Peru, a fissure two times the depth of the Grand Canyon.

In current decades, there has also been renewed academic curiosity in andenes as a form of sustainable agriculture that could help the world cope with the local climate crisis, water shortage and soil erosion. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, for example, describes conventional Andean culture as “just one of the very best examples of the adaptation and information of farmers to their natural environment”, and highlights its sustainable approach to land usage, drinking water administration, soil defense and crop biodiversity.

4 and a half thousand a long time just after they 1st emerged, the terraced fields of the Andes seem to be forward of their time.

Historical Engineering Marvels is a BBC Vacation collection that normally takes inspiration from special architectural concepts or ingenious constructions developed by previous civilisations and cultures across the planet.

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