Abstract
Data from a number of Inca stone quarries are examined to explore the variability in Inca organization of the production of cut-stone building blocks in the heartland of Cusco, Peru and the southern highlands of Ecuador. Great variability is seen in the size of quarries, distance from construction sites, and the associated facilities constructed to support quarrying activities. In contrast, all quarries were similar in being located near major roads and steps of stone block preparation undertaken within the quarries. The cultural meanings and sacred nature of quarries and building stone is seen as an important dimension of the Inca approach to quarrying and using cut stone.
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Acknowledgments
The fieldwork that served as a basis for this chapter benefited from collaboration with and participation of a number of people, and in particular I would like to thank José Luis Espinosa, Julio César Sierra, and Bill Sillar. Funding for my initial visits to Rumiqolqa and Cojitambo was provided by the Archaeological Research Facility of the University of California, Berkeley. I would like to thank Nico Tripcevich and Kevin Vaughn for their feedback on this chapter and efforts in creating this volume. I also appreciate the anonymous reviewer comments, which contributed to improving the chapter.
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Ogburn, D. (2013). Variation in Inca Building Stone Quarry Operations in Peru and Ecuador. In: Tripcevich, N., Vaughn, K. (eds) Mining and Quarrying in the Ancient Andes. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5200-3_3
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