Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-226) and index.
Machine generated contents note: pt. I THE SITE AND ITS ARCHITECTURE -- ch. 1 The Site -- Geography and Climate -- The Site and Its Plan -- The Architecture at the Site -- Summary Observations -- ch. 2 The Major Monuments -- The Semi-Subterranean Temple -- Akapana -- Kalasasaya -- Putuni -- Pumapunku -- The Monuments Compared -- pt. II DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION -- ch. 3 Design -- Design Elements -- Stones and Stone Fragments -- Full-Sized Gateways and Gateway Fragments -- More Diagnostic Features -- Some Questions of Style -- ch. 4 Architectural Configurations -- Dimensions, Proportions, and Compositions -- Architectural Configurations -- More Questions of Style -- Tiahuanaco Architecture: Some Unresolved Issues -- ch. 5 The Art of Stonecutting -- First Clues -- An Experiment -- The Experiment Compared to Field Observations -- Variations in Stonecutting Techniques -- The Skill and Art of the Tiahuanaco Stonecutters -- ch. 6 Construction -- Quarrying -- Transporting -- Stone Fitting, Laying, and Handling -- Construction and Details -- Tool Kit -- Conclusion -- Tiahuanaco Inventions -- Design, Technology, and Culture.
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The world's most artful and skillful stone architectures are found at Tiahuanaco at the southern end of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. The precision of the stone masonry rivals that of the Incas to the point that writers from Spanish chroniclers of the sixteenth century to twentieth-century authors have claimed that Tiahuanaco not only served as a model for Inca architecture and stone masonry, but that the Incas even imported stonemasons from the Titicaca Basin to construct their buildings. Experiments aimed at replicating the astounding feats of the Tiahuanaco stonecutters--perfectly planar surfaces, perfect exterior and interior right angles, and precision to within 1 mm--throw light on the stonemasons' skill and knowledge, especially of geometry and mathematics. Detailed analyses of building stones yield insights into the architecture of Tiahuanaco, including its appearance, rules of composition, canons, and production, filling a significant gap in the understanding of Tiahuanaco's material culture. Publisher's note.
Indian architecture-- Bolivia-- Tiwanaku River Valley.
Quarries and quarrying-- Bolivia-- Tiwanaku River Valley.