Non invasive subsurface imaging to investigate the site evolution of Machu Picchu

Abstract

The construction history of a site is partially preserved underground and can be revealed through archaeological investigations, including excavations, integrated with earth observation (EO) methods and technologies that make it possible to overcome some operational limits regarding the areal dimensions and the investigation depths along with the invasiveness of the excavations themselves. An integrated approach based on EO and archaeological records has been applied to improve the knowledge of Machu Picchu. The attention has been focused on the first construction phase of Machu Picchu, and for this reason the investigations were directed to the imaging and characterization of the subsoil of the Plaza principal, considered the core of the whole archaeological area. Archaeological records and multiscale remote sensing (including satellite, UAS, and geophysical surveys) enabled the identification and characterization of the first construction phase of the site, including the preparation phases before building Machu Picchu. The interpretative hypothesis on the constructive history of Machu Picchu started from the identification and use of the quarry, followed by the planification and set of the drainage systems and by the next steps based on diverse reshaping phases of what would be the central plaza.