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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Polo de Ondegardo on the Inca mason’s use of hammerstones to create precisely fitted stonework. #inca #peru #archeology #archaeology #stonework #masonry #megalithic #history

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

The Spanish chronicler Juan de Betanzos documented how Pachacuti tore down Cusco, laid down new foundations and irrigation canals, and reconstructed the city with 50,000 workers over 20 years. From the article MASONRY TECHNIQUES OF THE INCA’S MASTER BUILDERS www.earthasweknowit.com/pages/inca_c...

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Restoration work of a chullpa (funerary tower) at Sillustani, Peru. Via Museo Municipal Carlos Dreyer Btw, look at how they’re using those pry bars! Perhaps not too different to how the Inca era workers once used theirs.

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

This is a post-colonial, transitional-period building in Cusco called Casa de las Sierpes (House of the Snakes), constructed in the 1580s, when indigenous stone masons were helping in the construction of Spanish buildings. Note the precise fitting stonework. #archeology #peru #inca #masonry

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

The Waru Waru of the Geoglifos de Acora: an ingenious example of native permaculture. I found these on google maps while planning this trip to Peru. My local guide and driver weren’t yet aware of 3 of the 4 we visited. … 🧵 #archeology #archaeology #history #peru #permaculture

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Cusco’s Inti Raymi festival is the continuation of the Inca’s tradition of celebrating the winter solstice and the Andean new year. More pics below👇 #history #inca #peru #archeology #festivals #southamerica

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

This may be why the Inca constructed trapezoidal doors, windows & niches. Stone can support a lot of weight, but doesn’t have as much tensile strength, so is prone to cracking when flexed. By shortening the top dimension, these lintel stones would be less likely to crack. #archeology #history

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

I don’t think most people realize how much of Machu Picchu has been rebuilt. A lot of this reconstruction happened in the 1950s for some movie that was being filmed there. #archeology #archaeology #machupicchu #peru #inca #history #megalithic

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Another Inca masonry mystery solved! Many people have shared photos of this stone at Ollantaytambo as supposed evidence that they had some kind of powered saw, perhaps from a much more “ancient lost advanced civilization”. But the truth is much simpler… 🧵 #archeology #archaeology #inca #peru

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

At the base of the Ollantaytambo ramp there are also some “Piedras Cansadas” (tired stones), one of which has more evidence of them using rows of wedges to split the stone apart. #archeology #archaeology #peru #inca #history

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

I got some drone footage today of the giant ramp leading up to Ollantaytambo’s Temple of the Sun. There are also some ruins above the start of the ramp and along it, which may have been guard stations, to protect this rear entrance into the site. #archeology #archaeology #peru #inca #history

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

The split rock at Machu Picchu. 🪨 The Inca masons would chisel out these holes, hammer in wooden wedges, and fill them with water, causing them to expand, splitting the stone. The ancient Romans & Egyptians did the same. No advanced lost technology required. #archeology #archaeology #inca #peru

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

North Coast Peru pre-colonial stone necklaces (chrysocolla, lapis lazuli, spondylus shells, jasper, gold, brass). Museo Larco, Lima

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

Chimú culture featherwork (900-1470 CE) Museo Armano, Lima, Peru #archeology #archaeology #peru #history

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Heading back to Peru today, visiting some lesser known Inca sites, & some other Wari & Nazca ruins, then into Bolivia, to see Tiwanaku, the altiplano salt flats, some colonial cities, & to a national park called Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco, which is savanna/wetland area (like the Bolivian Pantanal).

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

“The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology.” - Edward O. Wilson

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Wari (Peru 500-1000CE) silver mask, with similar fangs & mucus draining from the nose as this Chavín carving, signifying hallucinogenic snuff usage (possibly yopo/rapé or vilka). One of the many ways in which Middle Horizon artwork inherited from Chavín Early Horizon iconography.

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

A map of all the Inca style walls within Cusco. Via Exploring Cusco by Peter Frost (great little guide book) #archeology #archaeology #peru #inca

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

In 1994, an excavation under a megalith at Ollantaytambo revealed how the Inca constructed roads to move these massive stones, using clay soil & gravel. Note how the top layer is pushed up on the front side from sliding forward. Sources: Protzen & Nair; PBS NOVA; SGdecoded #archeology #inca 🏺

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Cartagena de Indias was an important Spanish Empire stronghold, a major nexus point in the transport of New World gold & silver. The city’s wealth also made it a target for raids by pirates, where it was repeatedly sacked: www.earthasweknowit.com/pages/cartag... #history #colombia #pirates

earthasweknowit.com

The Plunder of Cartagena de Indias: Conquest, Piracy, and Independence - Earth As We Know It

In terms of its historical significance, Cartagena de Indias was the most important city to emerge in the expansion of the Spanish Empire, playing a central role in the unfolding of South America's co...

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Two attempts at reconstructing what Bolivia’s Tiwanaku ruins of Pumapunka once looked like. From the book “The Stones of Tiahuanaco” by Jean Pierre Protzen & Stella Nair. #Archeology #Archaeology #Bolivia #Tiwanaku #AncientHistory

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

For anyone who cares about protecting U.S. archeological sites: www.culturalheritagepartners.com/join-us-emer... #archeology #archaeology

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

This Pierce Morgan interview grilling Graham Hancock about his ‘Sonic Levitation’ idea was pretty funny. (Nice christmas pudding beanie too @stefanmilo.bsky.social 😆) youtu.be/RsFusbWo4po?...

youtu.be

I'm never talking about this again.

YouTube video by Stefan Milo

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Andean spectacled bears are the only bear species known to build nests. I saw this behavior at Maquipucuna Reserve, near Mindo, Ecuador. It climbed to the top of the tallest tree, and began folding branches inwards to build a sturdy platform. #photography #wildlife #bears #Ecuador #SouthAmerica

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

This site in Huánuco, Peru, may be related. They’re calling it ‘La Cuidad De Los Duedes’ (City of the Goblins). But since these passages connect internally, & they’re the right size, might this also be some little temple for sacred cuyes (guinea pigs)? youtu.be/x5pbwTQU6Ho?...

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Masked Flowerpiercer, Zoroloma, Chocó cloud forest, Ecuador Flowerpiercers cheat the normal system of pollination. Their specialized beaks pierce the base of flowers, stealing the nectar without spreading pollen. #Birds #Photography #Wildlife #Ecuador #SouthAmerica

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Inca guinea pig (cuy) pens. This local guy explains that there are some other areas that still raise them in this style. youtu.be/TnoblVNaq1M?... #inca #peru #archeology #archaeology #history #ancienthistory

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

While the Cocora region is home to dozens of hummingbird species, the long-tailed sylph is the most mesmerizing. They’re native to the cloud forests of the Northern Andes, from Colombia through Northern Peru. #Colombia #SouthAmerica #Birds #hummingbirds #photography #wildlife

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Might be a good time to stock up on meat and produce.

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Reposted by Earth As We Know It

Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Big jump in Bluesky usage over the last few days since inauguration, still not at the immediate-post-election highs but highest user activity since early December

A graph of Bluesky unique likers, which rises from 1M to 2.75M post election before declining to 1.75M and then up to 2.25M again.

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Some impressive 3D renderings of traditional Andean clothing by Kaolin P camayoc.artstation.com #Inca #Paracas #Tiwanaku #Moche #archeology #archaeology #peru #history

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

I suspect this technique was likely more common at ancient megalithic sites than most people realize. The Inca are known to have used a similar approach, building ramps next to walls to place upper stones. #archeology #archaeology #megalithic #ancienthistory #masonry #inca

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

Ingapirca, Ecuador, had been initially occupied by the Cañari, then by the Inca. The first Inca king to attempt to capture this region was Topa Inca, son of Pachacuti, but his army was repelled. Ecuador was then conquered under his son, Huayna Capac. 🧵 #archeology #archaeology #ecuador #history

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Another amazing Peruvian site that doesn’t get discussed much is Las Haldas, dating to 1800–1000 BCE, part of the Casma-Sechín culture. Imagine seeing what this temple would have looked like when it was still in use. Photo credit Ricardo Arroyo #archeology #archaeology #peru #ancienthistory 🏺

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

The number of archeological sites in Peru really is mindblowing. I’ve been studying about this country’s history for a decade now, and still learning about new sites. This place is Ancasmarka, in the mountains NE of Cusco’s Sacred Valley. #archeology #archaeology #peru #history #ancienthistory🏺

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Reposted by Earth As We Know It

Kristina Killgrove @killgrove.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

An intriguing new study suggests laser-stimulated fluorescence can elicit new information from ancient tattoos. But some researchers aren't convinced. 🏺🧪

livescience.com

Lasers reveal hidden patterns in tattoos of 1,200-year-old Peru mummies

A new method for imaging tattoos reveals intricate designs on Chancay mummies from Peru.

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

The Andean ‘Cult of the Feline’ is commonly believed to have originated at Chavín de Huantar, an important pilgrimage site dating to 1200-500 BCE, famous for its underground labrynth. But that narrative now appears to be a misinterpretation of the evidence…🧵 #archeology #archaeology #peru #history

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Peru’s Cerro Sechín is the creepiest place I’ve been. The outer walls of this 3000 year old temple are covered in relief carvings of dismembered bodies, likely depicting human sacrifice… 🧵 #archeology #archaeology #history #peru #SouthAmerica #ancientHistory 🏺

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Old Inca tunnel leading into Qoricancha (now the Dominican church), now sealed off. Via Glen Short. #archeology #archaeology #inca #peru #History #ancienthistory 🏺

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

An underground tunnel connecting the Inca’s Sacsayhuaman fortress with the Qoricancha temple has been discovered, using ground penetrating radar, mentioned in Jesuit documents from the 1600s: limagris.com/arqueologos-... #archeology #archaeology #peru #inca #history #ancienthistory 🏺

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

I’ve always thought south american feathered headdresses were so cool looking, but hadn’t thought about how those would have been harvested. I just assumed they would have killed them, not routinely plucked them from captive birds. www.sciencealert.com/mummified-bi... #archeology #archaeology 🏺

sciencealert.com

Mummified Birds in The Atacama Desert Reveal a Truly Dark Side of History

The more we look into the harsh extremes of Chile's Atacama Desert, the more we find.

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Reposted by Earth As We Know It

Barry Ritholtz @ritholtz.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

The paths you can take in the future. Via Tim Urban

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

5000 years ago the first cities of the Americas were beginning to emerge on the arid coastal desert of north-central Peru, contemporary with the pyramids of Egypt & the Ziggurats of Mesopotamia… 🧵 www.earthasweknowit.com/pages/caral_... #archeology #peru #photography #travel #History 🏺

An aerial view of the step pyramids of Caral

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Earth As We Know It @earthasweknowit.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

I remember about a decade ago when angry climate change deniers use to say “if climate change is real, why aren’t we see home insurance costs going up in florida then?!”

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