Machu Picchu: A Civil Engineering Marvel - Softcover

Wright, Kenneth R.; Valencia Zegarra, Alfredo; Wright, Ruth M.; Mcewan, Gordon, Ph.D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0784404445 ISBN 13: 9780784404447

Publisher: Amer Society of Civil Engineers, 2000

Synopsis

Machu Picchu: A Civil Engineering Marvel takes readers inside the Lost City of the Incas for a groundbreaking perspective never before seen by tourists or archeologists. Built high in the Andes on a seemingly impossible site, Machu Picchu stands as a testament to Early Native Americans and their ability to plan and build. How was it possible to create a mountain-top city complete with running water, drainage systems, food production, and stone structures so advanced they have endured for over 500 years? Authors Kenneth R. Wright and Alfredo Valencia Zegarra explain these and other mysteries, based on their original engineering and scientific research. A fascinating book, Machu Picchu: A Civil Engineering Marvel is a must-have for civil engineers, archeologists, armchair travelers, and tourists alike. An illustrated walking guide and detailed map allow readers to become familiar with each building and pathway, and numerous photographs take readers on a breathtaking pictorial adventure.

About this title

From Booklist:

Machu Picchu, the famous "Lost City of the Inca," has fascinated and captivated archaeologists for five centuries. The royal estate of Pachacuti, an Inca ruler, was built in the fifteenth century and abandoned barely more than a century after its construction. How could the "primitive" Inca construct a city on top of a mountain? How could they solve the intricate problems of drainage, of water supply, of architecture? This detailed study of the city's construction is downright spellbinding. The prose may be a little dry-- its authors, with the exception of attorney Wright, are scientists by trade--but it is also clear and precise. The book tells us as much about the practical challenges of building a city as it does about the mysterious Inca, and it should be an immediate hit with armchair archaeologists and fans of the kind of ancient civilization documentaries that are a staple on PBS's Nova . Pricey but useful wherever there is interest in the topic. David Pitt
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About this edition

• Publisher: Amer Society of Civil Engineers
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0784404445
• ISBN 13: 9780784404447
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144