Contour forms on the Peruvian side of the Altiplano

Just when you think you have seen everything there is to be seen in the way of ancient agricultural formations on the Altiplano, from the famous "sukka kollus" to linked artificial ponds and "geoglyph" - like mountainsides, Google Earth continues to show unexpected and unknown formations of equally unknown age and purpose - in this case contour shaped formations which appear to have been cut into ancient hillsides - in some parts apparantly wiped clean by earthquakes and in others so well defined as to make one wonder whether they exist in reality on the ground or are left over ghost images from some computerised cartographic project.

Yet instead of connecting lines of equal altitude in the way that true contour lines do, these lines when measured by Google Earth appear to ascend or descend in altitude along their length - suggesting maybe another form of gravity fed canal based irrigation culture and masterpiece of engineering.

Once again, site inspection is the answer and invites future investigators to locate them on the ground and give them an age and purpose - the cultivations themselves may have long disappeared but these contour-like patterns illustrate once again how these parts of the Andes in ancient times supported a huge population through agriculture - and the ingenuity of the ancient peoples in adapting the resources to the various types of terrain, crafting these water channels to disperse streams from the mountains laterally along the hillsides..

Some views from Google Earth
contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, oblique view of contour forms/irrigation channels seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour geoglyphs Peru side of Altiplano
Above, contour forms/ancient irrigation patterns seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

circular contour irrigation channels on the Peru side of Altiplano
Above, oblique view of circular contour forms/irrigation channels seen on Google Earth in the Peru side of the Altiplano..

contour irrigation channels on the Peru side of Altiplano
Above, these contour forms/irrigation channels have almost disappeared from view.

contour irrigation channels on the Peru side of Altiplano
Above, these contour forms/irrigation channels (arrowed) have almost disappeared from view.

Cusco area agricultural terraces in the Cusco area
Above, agricultural terraces in the Cusco area.

agricultural terraces in the Cusco area
Above, oblique view of agricultural terraces in the Cusco area.

agricultural terraces in the Cusco area
Above, oblique view of agricultural terraces with gravity fed irrigations canals in the Cusco area.

gravity fed irrigation canals in the Cusco area
Above, contour forms/irrigation channels in the Cusco area.

gravity fed irrigation canals in the Cusco area
Above, contour forms/irrigation channels in the Cusco area.

gravity fed irrigation canals in the Cusco area
Above, contour forms/irrigation channels in the Cusco area.

gravity fed irrigation canals in the Cusco area
Above, close-up oblique view of contour forms/irrigation channels in the Cusco area.

See also contours forms/irrigation channels on Bolivian side of Altiplano
See also "geoglyph" and other agricultural formations in the Oruro and Tiwanaku/La Paz regions
See also ringed hills page for views of ringed hilltops Oruro and Tiwanaku/La Paz regions
See also earthquakes page for Oruro and Tiwanaku/La Paz regions
See also canals gallery for views of canals in the Oruro region

J.M.Allen 22 Nov 2009
webatlantis@hotmail.com

sailing to the lost city of atlantis
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