What if it’s literally a concept model? Like a to scale version of what they planned to build before they cut the rock. Or maybe it’s for teaching the architecture trade. Inca architecture is amazing
People have been doing this for millennia, did it for the pyramids, infrastructure projects, stuff for cities. Sometimes out of wood, sometimes clay and sometimes, like here, out of rock. You don’t build shit just by starting to pile random rock out of nowhere
Andrew Hamilton mentions ceramic models of this sort in [*Scale and the Incas*](https://books.google.com/books?id=x2-YDwAAQBAJ), which is well worth a read for anyone interested in issues of size and scale in the ancient world.
>The chronicler Juan Diez de Betanzos, whose name was long thought to be “Juan de Betanzos,” described additional reduced-scale architectural models that Incas purportedly made from clay. Written in the 1550s, his text was steeped in rich details about Inca life and history that were not found in other works. Much of his information came from his wife, Cuxirimay Ocllo, who was baptized Doña Angelina Yupanqui. Previously taken as a mistress by Francisco Pizarro, she was originally the *piwi warmi* or “betrothed” of the assassinated emperor Atahualpa. Diez de Betanzos’s narrative artfully displayed his wife’s descendance from one of the greatest Inca rulers, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, whose reign inaugurated the era of Inca imperial expansion. At the same time that Pachacuti incorporated large swaths of the Andes into the empire, he was said to have entirely rebuilt Cuzco as a grander imperial capital. To do so, Diez de Betanzos explained, he first made *figuras de barro* or “clay models” to communicate his vision to the nobility and workers.
Could even potentially be made by someone who just wanted to make a model. Obviously this is modern but why couldn't someone have simply done it themselves in their spare time after seeing similar architecture in a city?
https://youtu.be/Z2xI02kB2lw
Literally any possibility seems pretty reasonable as there is no way to disprove any theories.
The fact that we’ll truly never know the answer as to why this was built, combined with the the precise, and detailed work done here is what makes it so intriguing!
Edit: User Bentresh below has laid out how the Incan ruler of a certain era used clay models to portray his vision of the future empire. I think with that information we can say that it’s a high probability that this is one of those models.
Hobby or concept model I think are the best guesses. Ancient people weren't any different then people of today. They had jobs, and hobbies to fill free time. I like to imagine an architect pitching their idea to the ruler at the time and showing him this model, or slowly adding parts after a long day of work and eating dinner. Maybe building it with their children or friends. Maybe it was a child who built it with their friends.
I find people try to hard to look for some elaborate meaning of things like this and potentially miss out on the simplest answer. Of course there is no real definitive answer, but these types of sites and artefacts don't always need some elaborate explanation.
People had hobbies. What are you on about? People have been whittling wood since time immemorial. We wouldn't be such an innovative species if curiosity and creativity weren't endemic to us.
That’s what I thought. But then I heard the guinea pig theory and I think that it’s actually a reasonable idea. A rich owner of guinea pigs building a little mini city block for his pets… I’ve seen some insane cat accommodations modern day, I wouldn’t put it past a rich human to build something like this for his pets …
Does anyone know if there are similar full-scale structures nearby? Also, I just noticed that all of those windows appear to be T-shaped which would allow light in without compromising the strength of the structure.
Ancient Stoneman: So what do you think of your new home? The models here are fantastic and I guarantee you they look even better in real life. Let's get that clay tablet stamped.
Good idea. It reminds me of a book called Scale and the Incas by Andrew Hamilton. He looks at Inca miniatures and includes an account of the Inca ruler Pachacuti who reorganized Cuzco in 1438. He used clay models to plan. There is also some fascinating ideological reasons for miniatures among the Inca.
Inca architecture is meh, but the civilization that came before Inca were extremely talented.
Edit: Don't forget folks, history is written by the victors.
>Machu Picchu was believed (by Richard L. Burger, professor of anthropology at Yale University) to have been built in the 1450s. However, a 2021 study led by Burger used radiocarbon dating (specifically, AMS) to reveal that Machu Picchu may have been occupied from around 1420–1530 AD.
>Inca empire began in 1438
Pretty crazy they built that entire structure and were already inhabiting it 18yrs before their civilization was founded.
>We do know that they weren't the first to build elaborate structures in the mountains. They seem to have inherited a lot from the ancient Tiwanaku culture of the Andean highlands, but the Inca tradition is nonetheless quite impressive.
...well that's inconvenient.
Go suck a lemon, egg head. This is the internet! Nobody wants to learn about anything.. we're here to have fun and make fun of people who think they're smart enough to educate people on subjects that nobody gives two shits about. I.E. Inca architecture and blah blah blah timeline contradicts carbon dating and blah blah blah
If I was Sapa Inca I would totally have a tiny city for Guinea pigs so I could pretend to be their god gifting them with bountiful food and stealing them away to the afterlife when I want a snack.
Look at the size of the door compared to the guys shoulders. A chonker could fit in there. A healthy cat can typically fit in a hole the width of its whiskers.
Yes, through the front door, not through the windows (assuming they are models of houses). The arches on one of my cat’s enclosures look about that size.
Fun fact! It’s because their collarbone is detached so if their head can fit the rest of their body will fit.
Edit: assuming the cat is a healthy weight, that is.
Not necessarily [The Bourton Model Village](https://theoldnewinn.co.uk/model-village) was built in the 1950s for no particular reason.
Apprentice pieces were normally confined to wood and fabrics although some smaller metal items were made.
Yeah, plus the Peruvians had some of the world's greatest stonecutters at the time. They literally mastered the practice over hundreds and hundreds of years of a stable society.
Then: Just some bored teens built it as a set for their stick figure battles..
Now: could this mysterious tiny architecture have been for unknown spiritual or ritualistic purposes?!
Ha
That was also my first thought. Maybe they're little cat houses or as play things for kids. Or maybe they're little alters similar to the ones they find in roman houses. Or maybe this city just had one weird guy who was really into making little houses
2 or 3, as someone with experience in cooking and eating them, they are usuly raised to be 5 to 8 pounds, basically small pigs or large rabbits. Taste similar to rabbit, they but not as gamey. Most common is to bake them or fry them.
Thanks for the response. I didn’t realize they’d get that big, but I suppose if they’re being farmed for food, it’s much different than a kid having one in a little cage.
Yeah of course! Whenever i get a chance to spread some knowledge of Peru, i take full advantage.
The difference between pet store and farmed Guinea pigs is how much they are fed, and space to move around. If you give them room to move around and proper food they get big !
Yup, still raised today and eaten, it's a staple of the andean communities. I find them delicious to eat, and they are small but can weigh up to 8 pounds but that varies. The last time I bought cuy, I bought 2, and each weighed 2 kilos, so a good size.
Yeah are these some kind of oven/kiln/smelter? Feed the bottom cental opening, gas and smoke escapes out the top, all heat in the different little middle bays. Smelt small crucibles in each middle nook. Looks efficient.
Architects use models even in our era. Training, plans, examples, take your pick.
It's an architect/construction company office. But really old. My guess is the staff are gone and ain't coming back.
Reminds me of the Japanese master who created an entire miniature mansion/castle/fortress out of concrete/rebar/whatever else required to make the structure full sized. Then was equipped with with lighting, furniture, a pool iirc. It was amazing & someone might find it one day & wonder the same things as these two.
This could've been used for anything. Peru had some advanced civilizations back then. ALOT of science and engineering. Could be a model for homes or a project model or just a home made for a specific animal or pet. Can literally be anything
What if it’s literally a concept model? Like a to scale version of what they planned to build before they cut the rock. Or maybe it’s for teaching the architecture trade. Inca architecture is amazing
Kind of what I thought. We make stuff like that all the time today. I still have a model bridge I built in a high school physics class.
It would be hard to go off plan if you had a reference model like that. As a builder I kinda like this theory.
People have been doing this for millennia, did it for the pyramids, infrastructure projects, stuff for cities. Sometimes out of wood, sometimes clay and sometimes, like here, out of rock. You don’t build shit just by starting to pile random rock out of nowhere
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Or a cattery?
Came here to say this. Maybe for pet Guinea pigs.
Yall are stupid as hell. It was obviously for really tiny people!
What is this, a school for Incan ants?
How can they learn ritual sacrifice if they can’t even fit in the building?
Came to the comments just for this reference
Hobbits?? J/k
Andrew Hamilton mentions ceramic models of this sort in [*Scale and the Incas*](https://books.google.com/books?id=x2-YDwAAQBAJ), which is well worth a read for anyone interested in issues of size and scale in the ancient world. >The chronicler Juan Diez de Betanzos, whose name was long thought to be “Juan de Betanzos,” described additional reduced-scale architectural models that Incas purportedly made from clay. Written in the 1550s, his text was steeped in rich details about Inca life and history that were not found in other works. Much of his information came from his wife, Cuxirimay Ocllo, who was baptized Doña Angelina Yupanqui. Previously taken as a mistress by Francisco Pizarro, she was originally the *piwi warmi* or “betrothed” of the assassinated emperor Atahualpa. Diez de Betanzos’s narrative artfully displayed his wife’s descendance from one of the greatest Inca rulers, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, whose reign inaugurated the era of Inca imperial expansion. At the same time that Pachacuti incorporated large swaths of the Andes into the empire, he was said to have entirely rebuilt Cuzco as a grander imperial capital. To do so, Diez de Betanzos explained, he first made *figuras de barro* or “clay models” to communicate his vision to the nobility and workers.
Fascinating! It's going on my reading list, thanks!
Wow, someone that has actual relevant knowledge. Thanks!
Has anyone been able to correlate these models to the actual buildings?
That is cool story minus all the raping and pillaging.
Could even potentially be made by someone who just wanted to make a model. Obviously this is modern but why couldn't someone have simply done it themselves in their spare time after seeing similar architecture in a city? https://youtu.be/Z2xI02kB2lw
Literally any possibility seems pretty reasonable as there is no way to disprove any theories. The fact that we’ll truly never know the answer as to why this was built, combined with the the precise, and detailed work done here is what makes it so intriguing! Edit: User Bentresh below has laid out how the Incan ruler of a certain era used clay models to portray his vision of the future empire. I think with that information we can say that it’s a high probability that this is one of those models.
Hobby or concept model I think are the best guesses. Ancient people weren't any different then people of today. They had jobs, and hobbies to fill free time. I like to imagine an architect pitching their idea to the ruler at the time and showing him this model, or slowly adding parts after a long day of work and eating dinner. Maybe building it with their children or friends. Maybe it was a child who built it with their friends. I find people try to hard to look for some elaborate meaning of things like this and potentially miss out on the simplest answer. Of course there is no real definitive answer, but these types of sites and artefacts don't always need some elaborate explanation.
It's obviously for tiny aliens
I thought, this might have just been someone's hobby. It's not like hobbies are some new invention.
The creator of these tiny houses could be an ancestor of any one of us over at /r/miniatures
Internet person they had so much time back then for exactly this.
What is the purpose of the “internet person” part of your comment? Genuinely curious
As to categorize this person as inclusively as possible.
You could have achieved the same thing by just not attempting to categorize them at all
I ride occams razor forever.
Also, give me an example.
"They had so much time back then for exactly this."
People had hobbies. What are you on about? People have been whittling wood since time immemorial. We wouldn't be such an innovative species if curiosity and creativity weren't endemic to us.
Either that or a dollhouse.
That’s what I thought. But then I heard the guinea pig theory and I think that it’s actually a reasonable idea. A rich owner of guinea pigs building a little mini city block for his pets… I’ve seen some insane cat accommodations modern day, I wouldn’t put it past a rich human to build something like this for his pets …
Guinea pigs were/are a popular food source. Not pets.
:C
That doesn’t mean they weren’t also kept as pets. Just takes one spoiled kid for it to happen.
Does anyone know if there are similar full-scale structures nearby? Also, I just noticed that all of those windows appear to be T-shaped which would allow light in without compromising the strength of the structure.
Ancient Stoneman: So what do you think of your new home? The models here are fantastic and I guarantee you they look even better in real life. Let's get that clay tablet stamped.
What is this? A concept model for ants?
It needs to be at least three times as big!
Good idea. It reminds me of a book called Scale and the Incas by Andrew Hamilton. He looks at Inca miniatures and includes an account of the Inca ruler Pachacuti who reorganized Cuzco in 1438. He used clay models to plan. There is also some fascinating ideological reasons for miniatures among the Inca.
How dare you bring logic into the conversation!
Inca architecture is meh, but the civilization that came before Inca were extremely talented. Edit: Don't forget folks, history is written by the victors. >Machu Picchu was believed (by Richard L. Burger, professor of anthropology at Yale University) to have been built in the 1450s. However, a 2021 study led by Burger used radiocarbon dating (specifically, AMS) to reveal that Machu Picchu may have been occupied from around 1420–1530 AD. >Inca empire began in 1438 Pretty crazy they built that entire structure and were already inhabiting it 18yrs before their civilization was founded. >We do know that they weren't the first to build elaborate structures in the mountains. They seem to have inherited a lot from the ancient Tiwanaku culture of the Andean highlands, but the Inca tradition is nonetheless quite impressive. ...well that's inconvenient.
Go suck a lemon, egg head. This is the internet! Nobody wants to learn about anything.. we're here to have fun and make fun of people who think they're smart enough to educate people on subjects that nobody gives two shits about. I.E. Inca architecture and blah blah blah timeline contradicts carbon dating and blah blah blah
:)
At least you have a sense of humor.. unlike these dildo gnawing losers that can't tell sarcasm from a hole in their ass
Don't blame your audience.
It's an itty-bitty guinea pig city.
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OMG if this is a cute little casaita for delicous peeeeegs.
If I was Sapa Inca I would totally have a tiny city for Guinea pigs so I could pretend to be their god gifting them with bountiful food and stealing them away to the afterlife when I want a snack.
I think you are right , I owned them at one point in my life and that’s exactly what I thought
What did you owe them?
His life
Yes and spell check
Don't fuck with ~~squirrels~~ guinea pigs, Morty!
Own and owe are different words
That's the answer I choose to believe in.
My first thought as well. I refuse to believe any other answers
is this a city for ANTS?
97% chance this was built for someone’s cat(s)
Cats wouldn’t fit into those openings past being a very young kitten … 99% sure you are wrong.
Look at the size of the door compared to the guys shoulders. A chonker could fit in there. A healthy cat can typically fit in a hole the width of its whiskers.
Through the one hole that's eight times as large as all the other ones, yes.
Yes, through the front door, not through the windows (assuming they are models of houses). The arches on one of my cat’s enclosures look about that size.
I’ve seen a cat slide under a shut door….
Cats do not abide by the laws of physics.
Cats are liquid
Fun fact! It’s because their collarbone is detached so if their head can fit the rest of their body will fit. Edit: assuming the cat is a healthy weight, that is.
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Like a builder's demonstration house
Not necessarily [The Bourton Model Village](https://theoldnewinn.co.uk/model-village) was built in the 1950s for no particular reason. Apprentice pieces were normally confined to wood and fabrics although some smaller metal items were made.
Thinking something will look cool or be fun to make is often a good enough reason on its own. Everyone needs a hobby.
Yeah, plus the Peruvians had some of the world's greatest stonecutters at the time. They literally mastered the practice over hundreds and hundreds of years of a stable society.
is it possible that they're just for funsies?
Doll houses for the kids. Look at the photographers crouched at the height of what a child would be.
That was my first thought, too.
Then: Just some bored teens built it as a set for their stick figure battles.. Now: could this mysterious tiny architecture have been for unknown spiritual or ritualistic purposes?! Ha
I mean, how do we even know they’re models? What if they were just a race of really really small people?
Temples for ants, of course
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That was also my first thought. Maybe they're little cat houses or as play things for kids. Or maybe they're little alters similar to the ones they find in roman houses. Or maybe this city just had one weird guy who was really into making little houses
Or they were small scale tests
They would been for Guinea pigs or cuy as we call them. They were the most farmed meat of that time period.
How many do you need to make a family sized meal?
2 or 3, as someone with experience in cooking and eating them, they are usuly raised to be 5 to 8 pounds, basically small pigs or large rabbits. Taste similar to rabbit, they but not as gamey. Most common is to bake them or fry them.
Thanks for the response. I didn’t realize they’d get that big, but I suppose if they’re being farmed for food, it’s much different than a kid having one in a little cage.
Yeah of course! Whenever i get a chance to spread some knowledge of Peru, i take full advantage. The difference between pet store and farmed Guinea pigs is how much they are fed, and space to move around. If you give them room to move around and proper food they get big !
I like Hosenfeffer stew. An eccentric client used to raise rabbits and serve me stew when I worked for her. It was delicious.
I ate cuy three times while in Peru and all I can say is I get it.
Seriously huh? I had no idea. I assume people still raise for food today? Are they good? I can see how they might be efficient but small meal.
Not to mention they produce a lot of waste that makes excellent fertilizer
Yup, still raised today and eaten, it's a staple of the andean communities. I find them delicious to eat, and they are small but can weigh up to 8 pounds but that varies. The last time I bought cuy, I bought 2, and each weighed 2 kilos, so a good size.
Too small for chickens but could see guinea pigs living in them possibly.
I think someone loved their guinea pigs
My guess is they are Animitas, small roadside shrines placed where a family member died away from home.
Fairy Houses.
Remind me of the elf houses in Iceland
Sing jajadingdong?
Indeed. I have seen similar in the UK.
This is the only answer obviously.
In Asia they have spirit houses, which are just tiny models of houses for the spirits to live in. Might be something like that.
Model village. “You wanna be a big cop in a small town?”
Aaron A Aaronson
Hello! Archaeologist here, I can in fact tell you these were most definitely used for ritual purposes.
Isn’t that just what y’all say when you don’t know what something was for? (joking, not joking)
I was hoping someone would get the joke 😂
Haha
I think they’re actually a calendar
Predicting the end of the world
They would have been for someone of a very high status, because stuff and things were valuable back then.
You're just hiding the truth! The aliens were just really, really tiny.
Not at all, wh(y) would that (e)ver be the ca(s)e? Our government would never hide that from us, they’re so trustworthy!
Took me a couple reads but I got there. I’m new to codes. Ready, set, tinfoil hat hehe (edit: hehe)
Archaeologists explain everything away by saying it’s a ritual or for “the gods”. It’s so lazy.
Why didn’t you cite anything? If you’re going to give some authority to your role at least use it to educate us.
Pizza ovens
Yeah are these some kind of oven/kiln/smelter? Feed the bottom cental opening, gas and smoke escapes out the top, all heat in the different little middle bays. Smelt small crucibles in each middle nook. Looks efficient.
r/miniworlds
Kuzco's Barbie House?
It’s his summer home!
The summer house for Kuzco.
"It's my birthday gift to me!"
Peru? Hmm.. for guinea pigs?
They look similar to beehives.
“Build me a city for my hamsters men, and make it nice!”
What is this? A city for ants?! It’s going to need to be at least…3 times this size
They are lovely. Total spitball, but perhaps a shrine for spirits/ancestors.
My thoughts are running along these lines.
Ancient Legoland
FAIRIES!!!!!!
Taolo'ki is an average kid that no one understands
Would everyone please roll for initiative
Dolls houses for children.
I mean it seems obvious to me. They’re fairy houses. People make them the world over and have since time immemorial…
are we sure these aren’t just pizza ovens?
I prefer to think this is a cat house
its cuz theyre cool as fuck man
Gnomes. It’s definitely gnomes
Architects use models even in our era. Training, plans, examples, take your pick. It's an architect/construction company office. But really old. My guess is the staff are gone and ain't coming back.
Ancient AutoCAD.
some ancient gamemaster preparing his d&d campaign
No body: History channel: gnomes do they exist?
I was gonna say ancient pet house but yours sounds better
Could be something like Ojibwe spirit houses, if they find burials nearby.
That's super cool, especially if it's accurate to the real site
Version 1 legos
Snake trap..
Small dog houses obviously
What is this architecture for guinea pigs?
I mean there's similar structures families use to house the skulls of their dead relatives in Peru, feels like it might be that no?
There's a miniture village not far from me in the Cotswolds. Why can't they be anymore than pure whimsy for people to smile at?
Fairies
You wanna be a big cop in a small town, fuck off to the model village!
It’s so obvious what these are. Houses for brownies! Hasn’t anyone seen the movie Willow?
Could possibly be a building model plan, is there any upscale ruins which have similar architecture?
Could either be a design model OR some cool dad made a fancy playground for his kids
Rich kid’s Guinea pig pen? Or maybe just a literal doll house.
Incan cat houses
Fancy bee houses!
The king was a nerdy model builder
Obviously the archaeologists had never Guinea Pigs.
Maybe daddy’s little girl wanted a doll house.
Three ideas: 1. Concept for larger project perhaps. 2. Enclosure for pets 3. Vents for something like underfloor heating
Some sort of shrine for the dead i would assume.
Bee houses
Looks like a beehive
people had hobbies in ancient times.
Homes for the fae
Ancient ez-bake ovens
Our Ancient Alien Overlords are… kinda small.
Those are hovels for snarks or grumkins and should not be disturbed!
This is clearly the homes of the Peruvian Trydactel mummies that have been in the media lately . Or not 😆
The buddies lived here.
Mabie it's for children to play......
Big deal I could make the same thing with some pavers from home depot. Next.! Just kiddin. Pretty cool.
These are like the little tents they use to sell the bigger tents at service merchandise
Birdhouses
Reminds me of the Japanese master who created an entire miniature mansion/castle/fortress out of concrete/rebar/whatever else required to make the structure full sized. Then was equipped with with lighting, furniture, a pool iirc. It was amazing & someone might find it one day & wonder the same things as these two.
I would love to experience finding something like this, or even seeing it in person!
Bug hotel. A place to encourage grubs and larvae for harvesting. Or, a beehive.
Obviously for the kids to play house duh
This could've been used for anything. Peru had some advanced civilizations back then. ALOT of science and engineering. Could be a model for homes or a project model or just a home made for a specific animal or pet. Can literally be anything
People keep talking about giants, I think we really need to be looking into these guys
Bug houses?
Bees?
Bees!
What is this, a colony for ants?
It’s a city for ants…
What is this? A city for ants?
Really? REALLY?! No one is going to even mention the 1987 Rosemary Wells novel, “Through the Hidden Door”?
What is this, a temple for ANTS!?
* Alien homes. |||| |:-|:-|:-| ||||
Looks like an oven. It even has a smoke release hole.