The Twelve Angle Stone, Cusco

The Twelve Angle Stone is a masterpiece in its own right. This perfectly cut stone is a part of a wall known as Hatunrumiyoc, which runs outside the Archbishop's palace. It is actually amazing to see how the twelve angles of this stone have been united with the other stones in the wall to form a unit. Located a few blocks away from the city's central point, Plaza de Armas, this is an important tourist attraction. At any given time, tourists can be seen crowding around the wall and clicking pictures of this historical marvel.

This stone is proof of the expertise of the Incas. The accuracy and combination of the twelve angles of the stone with other stones on the wall is astounding. The stonework was done accurately, methodically and in an extremely scientific manner. The fact that this stone has been cut at twelve different points to give stability to the structure goes to show the skill and intelligence of the Incan minds. But that’s not all. There are other stones, which have been cut at five, six and seven points. They realised that this was an earthquake prone area and hence took precautions to give a strong foundation to the walls. And these structures have actually borne the test of time through all these years. The structures of the Incas were so well made that the Spanish conquerors used them as a base for their own buildings instead of demolishing them.