2) Pumapunku: Laser Accuracy
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Next we’re voyaging to ancient Bolivia, around 3000 years ago. Remember – no lasers were harmed in the making of these super accurate rock shapes.
Pumapunku is part of a temple complex that was built before 600 AD. What makes this bunch of rocks more special than other equally old carved rocks is the incredible accuracy. The designs, as you can see, are killer smart, and some of the angled joints between the rocks are so tight that you can’t even fit a razor blade between them. Anyone who’s had a failed attempt with a bit of Ikea tat will know how impressive that is.
The other impressive thing about Pumapunku is the size of the lumps of rock. Some are well over 100 tonnes in weight, about four times the weight of Stonehenge’s largest rock. These monumental stones arrived at the site up a steep slope, 10 km from the hilariously named Lake Titicaca.
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The area around Pumapunku was populated by as many as 400,000 members of the Tiwanaku civilization at its peak. Unfortunately, they have dissolved without trace, so we can’t ask them how they managed it now.
