Dominika Sieczkowska from the Center for Andean Studies of the University of Warsaw, and leader of the National Science Centre project designed to study the water system in Chachabamba, said the drone enabled them “to detect a number of unknown structures at the site.”

The central part of the ceremonial complex was a large stone with carved altars, stairs and a channel for sacrificial liquids, possibly beverages or animal blood. In front of the boulder was a small square with buildings on both sides, surrounded by a dozen of small ritual baths archaeologists refer to as fountains. They were reservoirs into which water ran down the walls. They were used for ritual ablution.

During the latest research with laser scanning, the researchers also discovered previously unknown parts of the channels that supplied water from the nearby river. Water was supplied to the ceremonial complex in Chachabamba by a system made of stone blocks that run partially underground. After passing through the ceremonial centre, water would flow through a similar drainage system into the river in the valley. The buildings identified by the researchers were located on the outskirts of the ceremonial complex.1

But based on laser images, researchers have already concluded that these buildings were built with far less care than the structures in the central part of the site.2

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• 1. Sieczkowska said: “We have a dozen or so small structures erected on the plan of a rectangle and a circle. We believe that they were staff residences. We will have more information after we manage to carry out excavations. These, however, are now prevented by the coronavirus pandemic.”
• 2. According to Sieczkowska, there are indications suggesting that it was mainly women that took care of the complex. They include the items discovered during previous excavations conducted in the area by the Polish-Peruvian team. They are associated with weaving, a craft of women in the Inca state.