Puma Punku: The Ancient Stones That Look Like They Were Cut with a Laser (Bolivia / Tiwanaku)

 

At an altitude of 3,800 meters in the Bolivian Andes lies one of history's greatest stone masonry mysteries: Puma Punku (The Door of the Puma).

Believed to have been built by the Tiwanaku culture approximately 1,500 years ago (though some claims suggest an even earlier date), this ancient site is by no means a conventional "ancient ruin." What sets it apart from every other ancient city in the world is that the stones look as though they were cut by modern machinery.

The stones at Puma Punku are not ordinary limestone or sandstone; they consist of andesite and red sandstone, some of the hardest rocks in nature. Weighing up to 130 tons each, these massive blocks were not only transported but also worked with an incomprehensible level of precision:

The corners and interiors of the stones are cut with such flawless right angles (90 degrees) that modern engineers state it is nearly impossible to achieve this sharpness using hand tools. The surfaces are as smooth as if they were polished.

"H" shaped slots, channels, and interlocking mechanisms just like the ones a modern carpenter uses when making furniture were carved into the stones to fit together perfectly. Without using any mortar, the stones were locked into place like a giant, flawless Lego set. Furthermore, it has been discovered that molten metal was poured into some of these joints to bind the blocks together.

How Was It Built in a Region Without Wheels, Writing, or Trees?

According to archaeological records, the Tiwanaku culture had no wheel, no writing system, and no iron tools. Moreover, the quarries where these blocks were sourced were miles away, and the region was a high altitude plateau where trees did not grow.

When the Incas arrived in the region, Puma Punku was already abandoned and in ruins. The Incas believed that this place was not built by humans, but was the creation of Viracocha, the god who created the world.

The question of how Puma Punku was constructed, what tools the stone masons of that era used (or where those tools vanished to), remains unanswered in the scientific world to this day.