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New Results from Archaeogeophysical Investigations in Machu Picchu

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Machu Picchu in Context

Abstract

The ITACA Mission of the CNR, in collaboration with the University of Warsaw and the PIAISHM from 2017 to 2019, conducted for the first time in Machu Picchu an interdisciplinary survey project aimed at exploring the subsoil for archaeological purposes with remote sensing and geophysics. Excavations carried out by the PIAISHM in 2016 opened new questions to which the geophysical investigations have attempted to provide an answer. This chapter shows and discusses the results mainly based on georadar surveys, integrated in some cases with geomagnetic prospecting, that on the one hand have highlighted the effectiveness of the approach, on the other hand have brought to light information (albeit indirect, being geophysical anomalies) on the presence of potential buried structures, linked to human frequentation phases preceding the architectural evidences. The exploration of the subsoil made it possible to characterize the stratigraphy both for archaeological and geotechnical purposes, as in the case of the Principal temple, providing some useful data to understand the cause-and-effect mechanisms of the structural failure affecting the same temple.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The kancha is the Inca basic architectural unit characterized by a rectangular plan commonly composed of three walls; it is also a set of enclosures with three or more rectangular structures around the courtyard (Hyslop 1990, 17).

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Acknowledgements

The research was funded by the National Science Centre of Poland (grant OPUS nr UMO-2015/19/B/HS3/03557), the Italian National Research Council , and Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Analysis, CNR-IMAA, C. da S. Loya, 85050 Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy

    Luigi Capozzoli & Rosa Lasaponara

  2. University of Bari, Umberto I, 1, 70121, Bari, Italy

    Gerardo Romano

  3. Institute of Heritage Science, CNR-ISPC, C. da S. Loya, 85050 Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy

    Maria Sileo & Nicola Masini

  4. National Archeological Park of Machupicchu (PIAISHM), Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco, Ministry of Culture, Maruri 324, 08002, Cusco, Peru

    Jose Bastante

  5. Center for Andean Studies, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927, Warsaw, Poland

    Dominika Sieczkowska

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  1. Luigi Capozzoli
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Correspondence to Luigi Capozzoli .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

    Mariusz Ziółkowski

  2. Institute of Heritage Science of Italy, Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy

    Nicola Masini

  3. Decentralized Ministry of Culture of Peru, Directorate of Culture of Cusco, National Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu, Cusco, Peru

    José M. Bastante

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Capozzoli, L. et al. (2022). New Results from Archaeogeophysical Investigations in Machu Picchu. In: Ziółkowski, M., Masini, N., Bastante, J.M. (eds) Machu Picchu in Context. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92766-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92766-0_7

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