Most of the time when we think of archaeology in Peru, we think of the amazing colossal polygonal megalithic walls found at Sacsayhuaman or the trapezoidal doorways and tall Inca fortifications found at the fog-shrouded (and megalithic) ruins of Machu Picchu, but most of us don’t think of the polymorphous rock formations usually found around or under these ruins. These are the monoliths, or single stone constructions that I refer to as Hanan Pacha style.
Hanan Pacha is a Quechua name meaning “land of the heaven above” which was one of the three descriptive names given by late researcher Alfredo Gamarra to designate the types of sites you can find in Peru—Hanan Pacha, Uran Pacha (land of the heaven below), and Ukun Pacha (Land of the heaven inside)1. Hanan Pacha work is the oldest, and, by far, the most unusual type of style that you can find, not only in Peru, but all around the world.
Hanan Pacha type monoliths are found in Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. One of the most famous examples of this type of construction is called the Foundation Stone at the Dome of the Rock Mosque in present day Israel. This stone is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike as it is said to be the spot where God created the world and the prophet Mohammed rose to heaven.
Many people don’t know this, but underneath the Giza pyramids you can also find Hanan Pacha rock formations along with natural aquifers. The two often are paired together like wine and cheese. It seemed like the ancient builders of the pyramids were well aware that this was sacred land, maybe because the rock and water were harboring telluric currents and magnetism that was important for their constructions.
In the Far East we find Hanan Pacha monoliths at the amazing Yangshan ‘quarry’, with its massive formations, and in the Asuka region of Japan, we behold the awe-inspiring 800-ton Masuda-no-iwafune (the ‘rock ship of Masuda’) and the Ishi no Hōden monoliths, which is the centerpiece in a Shinto shrine.
One thing you can clearly see is that many of these sites were revered by later cultures. In Peru the megalithic culture, the Incan and pre-Incan cultures carefully built their edifices on top of these formations like beautifully layered cakes. With perfect attention to detail they integrated their stonework so precisely as to not harm the Hanan Pacha monoliths below.
At the Condor Temple at Machu Picchu we are mesmerized by the flowing and very dreamy Hanan Pacha work. Not only is there an exquisitely carved condor huaca (sacred stone) on the ground, but the Hanan Pacha rocks themselves look to have wings to fly away, as if to take an initiate to heavenly realms. On top and around it are later Inca constructions, which seem to ground the more modern viewer in a more present state of consciousness—a balance between the two worlds of Hanan Pacha and Kay Pacha—the heavenly and temporal worlds.
How to spot a Hanan Pacha formation
What sets apart this type of ‘construction’ (and I use that word very loosely) apart from later ancient monuments, is that Hanan Pacha monoliths have forms seemingly molded in the rock—not cut, and these shapes seem incongruent and quite inexplicable to the modern mind. Usually on the bigger huacas (also spelled as wakas or wak’as) you will discover small and narrow stairways that wrap down and up the monoliths. At the top is where the rockscape gets downright ‘Dr. Suessian’ surreal. Here you will find perfect straight-edged, and sometimes rounded, seats and basins set in a mishmash of irregular mountain-peak shapes, pot-marked with strange holes and grooves, and other less recognizable forms. Sometimes there are serpentine shapes and zigzag canals, and, on rare occasions, recognizable forms like condors, pumas, and snakes, which also represent the three worlds of Andean cosmology. One can clearly see that there was different kind of mind at work here.
One of the weirdest things about Hanan Pacha work are what look like fingerprint grooves that lift up and shape material to make basins, canals and other forms in the rock. One can only assume that at one time this stone was a softened (it was possibly a geopolymer substrate) and had hardened over time. Although this is a wildly unpopular theory amongst archaeologists, I’ve seen enough of this kind of work all over Peru that I believe it is, in fact, a geopolymer. By the way, the conventional argument for these grooves is that acid rain and erosion are the culprits, but this doesn’t hold water (no pun intended) when adjacent rocks of the same type and age show no signs of grooves. Could rain be that selective? It is highly doubtful.
Another characteristic of Hanan Pacha formations are the caves. There are alleged to be hundreds of miles of them underneath Sacsayhuaman and Cusco. Some say they extend all the way to Lake Titicaca, Nazca and to Lima. (Though most of the passageways to the caves are sealed up, you still can get an idea what they were like by visiting the Little Chincana, Zone X and Q’enko in the park of Sacsayhuaman). Some of them look very natural, but some show the definite hand of intelligent life ,with smooth, glossy walls with niches, odd ledges and forms.
These monoliths and caves are typically composed of a metamorphosed limestone that is incredibly hard—so hard in fact that I have never had any of the rock break or crumble underneath my feet while climbing them. Another unique characteristic of this style is that you can often find vitrification on various surfaces of the rock. Vitrification is a process where the chemistry of the rock is changed to glass, usually by applying an extremely high heat to the surface. One sees that a rock that has been subject to this process by its very glossy, light reflective and refractive surface. Today we don’t know how the ancients did this in relatively open-air environments, as the high temperatures needed usually require an enclosure like a kiln.
Besides vitrification, the rock also shows evidence of other types of chemical alteration. Whether it is natural or man made, or both, is not really clear. The majority of the monoliths are shades of gray but we frequently see siennas, pinks and yellows thrown in with the mix. Additionally, there is an organic black mold, usually seen in areas where visitors linger, like the many niches and altar areas that are found at these monoliths.
Why mold? It turns out that Limestone has a wonderful ability to absorb water. Because these wak’as are built over natural springs and streams, they soak up moisture, encouraging these pronounced veins of this soft black fuzz. I have found evidence that this unique property of limestone polarizes the electrons around the wak’as. Stones becomes negatively charged, while water below it positively charged.2 One can surmise that of wak’as adjacent to water features was very intentional as we are aware of the health benefits of negatively charged ions, as well as mineral rich natural springs themselves. It is also likely that negatively charged ions had the capability to alter states of consciousness, too.3
Energetic properties seem to be the reason why these sites are the haunts of the pacos (Andean shamans) and spiritual seekers. I often encounter them at these sites in the process of giving kintus (blessed coca leaves) and other offerings to Pacha Mama (earth mother) and the Apus (the sacred mountains), a practice I do as well. Sometimes there are groups of meditators who just sit and absorb the unique energies and beauty of the sites. And, there are those that come just because they are interesting in ancient civilizations—there is nothing quite like Hanan Pacha works to mystify and enchant these curious souls.
This sense of wonderment extends to the impression that you are in an alien landscape as it is like nothing you have ever experienced before. It’s as close as you can get to experiencing an extraterrestrial world without taking a space ship or psychedelic drugs. Walking in the quixotic landscape in quiet reverence takes you far away from the concerns of everyday life. You relax, you absorb, and you are in awe. Its mystery and magic is a delight to the senses.
Do we know who built them?
The Inca and other cultures recognized these sites as sacred, performing rituals and ceremonies on these sites. This was well chronicled during the colonial period, but, did they create these sites? This was highly doubtful as the Inca really didn’t have the tools to cut into such hard stone. Additionally, many of these sites are buried very deep in some places and the layers of soil above them indicate great age. As mentioned above, they are found not only in Peru, but also in other places around the world. Such locations seem to be part of a very ancient worldwide civilization. For that reason, this isn’t the type of style you can pin solely on the Inca, or any recent cultures.
If we venture outside the box of mainstream archaeology we may find some unorthodox insights into this puzzle. For instance, the famous clairvoyant, educator, and mystic, Rudolf Steiner, describes in his book, Cosmic Memory, that early humans built temples out of the living rock. Steiner who had the ability to read the Akashic Chronicle (a place where all knowledge, thoughts are actions are stored in the aether) and he saw that early Lemurians (a type of early humanity) had the power to manipulate their environment with ease through the power of their Will and Imagination. He describes that these early humans created edifices called “Temples of Divine Art and Divine Wisdom” where “one learned to know and to control the forces of nature through direct contemplation of them.”4
Steiner also gives a description of what sounds like the Hanan Pacha monoliths we see today, including the vast underground caves. He writes:
“The Lemurians did not have dwellings in our sense, except in their latest times. They lived where nature gave them the opportunity to do so. The caves which they used were only altered and extended insofar as necessary. Later they built such caves themselves and at that time they developed great skill for such constructions. One must not imagine, however, that they did not also execute more artful constructions. But these did not serve as dwellings. In the earliest times they originated in the desire to give to the things of nature a man-made form. Hills were remodeled in such a way that the form afforded man joy and pleasure. Stones were put together for the same purpose, or in order to be used for certain activities.”4
Steiner also relates that the world was very different than our world today and everything was less dense including rocks and metals and easy for these early humans to manipulate. He also writes that the Lemurian “had power over his own body. When it was necessary, he could increase the strength of his arm by a simple effort of the will.”4
Could this explain the ease with which the creators of the Hanan Pacha formations seemed to manipulate stone? The Lemurians were also primarily cave dwellers, and left the mark on the rock for enjoyment sake. For this reason, I can’t but help think that the strange and beautiful Hanan Pacha work might be Lemurians leaving their mark—with joy and pleasure—upon the stones.
(If you would like to know more about ancient Lemuria and its connections to Hanan Pacha construction, please consider buying my book the Sorcerers of Stone: Architects of the Three Ages, where I go into this hypothesis in more detail.)
Notes:
[1] Jesus B. Gamarra, Jan Peter de Jong, September 7,2007, The Official GrahamHancock.com forums
https://grahamhancock.com/phorum/read.php?1,47200,47200
[2] L. Giannoulopoulou, A. Evangelou, S. Karkabounas, and S. Papamarinopoulos, “The Effects of Geophysical Anomalies on Biology,” Journal of Scientific Exploration, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 495–513, Sep. 2018, doi: 10.31275/2018.1295.
[3] J. A. Burke and K. Halberg, Seed of Knowledge, Stone of Plenty: Understanding the Lost Technology of the Ancient Megalith-Builders. Council Oak Books, 2005.
[4] Rudolf Steiner, Cosmic Memory. Steiner Books, 2006.
https://rsarchive.org/Books/GA011/English/RSPI1959/GA011_c05.html