Inca platforms – What do know about them

What are the Inca Platforms?

The Inca platforms are constructions in a staggered way, which were built on the mountains following and respecting the steep shape. The Inca platforms were a solution to have farmland close to the Inca cities; they were built on the slopes, high in the mountains, and had water channels.

The Platforms were a great contribution that the Incas made to current engineering since they respected the natural shape of the mountains.

Types of Inca Platforms

In the mountains of the South of Peru, the territory is very rough, it presents peaks, high mountains, rivers, rocky places. All of this offered unfavorable terrain for agriculture. So the Incas developed techniques to make land use more efficient developing this types of platforms:

The Containment Platforms: These are platforms that were built to prevent the erosion of the hills. They were built before carrying out a large work such as temples, cities, etc.

The Agricultural Platforms: These platforms provided agricultural spaces in which plants were grown to feed the Inca peoples. The agricultural platforms helped prevent soil erosion and made it possible to make better use of rainwater due to their advanced drainage system. The platforms, which were used for agriculture, made it possible to have food within reach of the Inca cities.

The platforms for religious purposes: These platforms were built with fine stones, they were related to important centers, whether ceremonial or administrative. If the platform is close to a temple, it is said that the cultivation of the platform was intended for religious purposes (the Incas offered corn and some plants for their deities).

These platforms are characterized by having water sources. An example of this is the platforms of Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu. These platforms also served as ornamentation platforms.

The Salt Platforms: The platforms for extracting salt are platforms for washing salt. These platforms are the Andenes de Maras (40 km from the City of Cusco). Which continues to be worked with the Inca tradition. These salt platforms are wells, which are filled with salty water that comes from the ground.

You can get to know the Inca platforms doing sacred valley tour or Machu Picchu tour with Peru Private Tour.