Inca Island in the Sky (Full Episode) | Lost Cities with Albert Lin

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Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is an iconic Inca city shrouded in mystery regarding its origins.
Albert Lin uses 21st-century technology to uncover the secrets behind its creation.
Machu Picchu showcases impressive architecture, including vertical terracing, open plazas, temples, and ceremonial doorways.

The search for Machu Picchu's origins leads to the exploration of pre-Inca remains near Rayaka.
A local legend mentions an ancient site on a hillside, warning about respecting local traditions and beliefs.
The team discovers a grave with a skull and leg bone, suggesting pre-Inca presence.
Lidar technology digitally removes obstacles and reveals potential pre-Inca buildings and terraces.
The team finds "chullpas" (circular stone structures) and rectangular structures, indicating a pre-Inca village or ceremonial site.
The Inca built their structures next to pre-Inca tombs, appropriating them as a political and religious statement.
The Inca incorporated aspects of earlier belief systems into their own, asserting their power and authority.

The search for Machu Picchu's origins leads to the investigation of the cult of the Wiota, a creator god that predates the Inca.
Kin saata volcano, believed to be a sacred pre-Inca site, inspired stories of fire falling from the heavens.
The Inca built a temple at the volcano's base after witnessing the Wiota shrine and ordered its expansion.

Wat, located at 13,000 ft, is older and higher than Machu Picchu, featuring Inca symbols and double jamb doors, indicating spiritual significance.
The Inca transformed Wat from an earlier settlement into an Inca place, building on existing structures.
The mountains were considered sacred by the people, who believed they originated from them and revered them as ancestors.
Lidar technology reveals signature Inca terracing and circular structures, suggesting pre-Inca occupation.
Machine learning and computer vision algorithms identify potential pre-Inca features, including circular structures and pottery fragments.
Ground truthing confirms pre-Inca structures and artifacts, including a snake-like pottery fragment dating back to 1100-1300 AD.
Wat was a pre-Inca mountaintop town later transformed by the Inca, with residential areas, ceremonial plazas, and grand terracing.
The Inca likely chose Wat as a significant location due to its pre-existing importance and incorporated local beliefs into their architecture and city planning.
Wat serves as a prototype for Machu Picchu, showcasing the evolution of Andean architecture and beliefs over time.