MACHU PICCHU ANCIENT AGRICULTURAL POTENTIAL

Abstract

The authors used agricultural engineering techniques to determine the food production potential of theagricultural terraces of the 16th century Inca royal retreat of Machu Picchu, Per. The ancient climate was estimatedusing modern climatological records coupled with long-term historic annual ice accumulation data from the Quelccayaice cap. Field studies were performed to determine that the Machu Picchu terraces were not irrigated, and thereforeprecipitation was the sole water supply for crop production. Water requirements of two typical Inca crops, maize andpotatoes, were analyzed to judge the adequacy of the precipitation to sustain plant production.<br><br>Using the Penman-Monteith method for monthly evapotranspiration for each of the two crops, annual potentialnutrient production at Machu Picchu was computed using common kilocalorie equivalents. The authors found that theMachu Picchu agricultural terraces alone could not have supported the nutrient needs of the approximately 1,000 peoplewho inhabited the ancient royal estate of Inca ruler Pachacuti. The agricultural engineering techniques used for thisfinding are generally appropriate to help determine food production capabilities of other ancient sites.