The long-forgotten artist has shed blood, sweat and even tears to create more than 200 designs on a monolith in what is now Peru. They carefully carve the shapes of reptiles, cats, crustaceans, and frogs, and surround sacred animals with terraces, lakes, rivers, tunnels and irrigation channels. The purpose and true meaning of these features remains a mystery.
Sayhuite is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Abancai, a province in the south-central Peru region of Apurimac. The site dates back to the days of the Inca Empire, which flourished between the 15th and 16th centuries AD. Compared to other Inca sites, only a few remnants of the Inca period have been preserved at Sayhuite. The most famous object in Sayhuite is the Sayhuite Monolith, a mysterious stone with very small carvings.
The name “Sayhuite” is said to have originated from the Quechua word “saywayta”, which means “place of orientation”. There was once a closed sanctuary on a terraced hill called Concacha. All that’s left of this holy place today is the platform erected on which the Sayhuite monolith is located. According to some scholars, this place is one of the four prophecies of the shrine of Apurimac, who is also known as the “son” of Pachacamak. However, currently there is no archaeological evidence to support this claim.
Purpose Of Sayhuite Is Still A Mystery
Sayhuite, or Saywite, is described by historians as the center of religious worship for the Incas who performed rituals and rituals for water worship. The main attraction of this place is the large granite boulder on which is decorated with mysterious and intricate figures that resemble a three-dimensional relief map of an ancient city.
Sayhuite stone is about two meters long and four meters wide. The stone is carved with more than two hundred figures of geometric and zoomorphic shapes, mainly cats, reptiles, frogs and snakes, formed along the lines of a topographical hydraulic model and filled with terraces, lakes, rivers, tunnels and irrigation channels. The relief map is above what appears to be the bottom of a large rock. The rock is located on top of a hill called Concacha, where it is believed to have been transported as this is not a natural escape route.
Many scholars and historian believe that the Sayhuite Stone was a full-scale model of the Inca Empire and that different areas were represented by animal sculptures and other motifs. For example, forests are represented by terrestrial animals such as monkeys, iguanas, jaguars, etc., while coastal areas are represented by animals such as pelicans, crabs, shrimps, octopuses, and others.
While the exact meaning and purpose of this relic remains a mystery, some researchers believe that the Sayhuite Stone was used as a full-scale model to design, develop, test and document water flow properties for irrigation and other water projects, and ancient technology. The rock also appears to have been modified several times with new materials, either by changing the waterways or by adding entirely new ones. The experiment might be done by pouring water or even liquid mercury onto the rock, as researcher Dr. Arlan Andrews suspect. There is a gap cut along the edge of the stone so that liquid can escape.
