Moray - 9780784410790

Water engineer Wright, coauthor of The Machu Picchu Guidebook photographer Ruth M. Wright and archaeologist Alfedo Valencia Zegarra, and Gordon McEwan (archeology, Wagner College, New York) examine what they call an ancient civil engineering marvel and a monumental construction project that is little known even in Peru. They consider the planning, hydrology, hydraulics, and construction; agriculture and the agricultural research station theory of Moray; carved rocks; and nearby Inca communities and the Inca Empire and its environment. A walking tour of the site is also included. Among their conclusions are that Moray was not in fact an agricultural research station but was used for religious and ceremonial purposes, and that construction was never completed because of conquest by Spain. The photographs, maps, and diagrams are in black-and-white. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)