At about 13,000 feet in the Andes Mountains, east of Lima, Peru, is an ancient sight called Marcahuasi (Markawasi). It’s called a stone forest because of the number of worn-out rock formations. This old stone forest is near the village of San Pedro de Casta in the Huarochiri province.² I haven’t been there, but it doesn’t look like a day trip.

Some archeologists will tell you the granite shapes at Marcahuasi result from years of wind and rain. This erosion event began about 10,000 years ago.³ I doubt the natural history theory. In my view, what’s left of the carvings can trick you into thinking the site is natural. Since there are dozens of them, it’s too many to be a coincidence.

From what I read about granite erosion, it takes about 10,000 years to wear down one inch.⁴ Looking at pictures of four or five carvings without access to any timelapse photography, I’d guess Marcahuasi at 60K to 100K years. Carvings throughout the plateau area are at multiple levels of wear and tear. These conditions might result from the direction they face. Weather patterns drift west to east due to the earth’s rotation. Any carving’s west side could look different from the east side regarding granite erosion.

I think the natural formation theories will soon take a back seat to present-day research. The studies include aerial drone footage and area surveys. And the results point to the structures aligning with constellations like the Pleiades.⁵

It’s a mountainous four-hour, 50-mile trip from the Lima airport to San Pedro de Casta—at 10,000 feet. Visitors take a bus to San Pedro, load up a pack horse, hike three miles, and camp at the Amphitheater plateau area. Walking to the campsite from the village can take up to five hours.⁶ The best time to visit is in the dry season, starting about June and before October.

Two Marcahuasi experts are Daniel Ruzo and his son Luis. Daniel discovered the site back in 1952. I had the opportunity to talk with Luis via email. He’s about 70 years old and said he probably wouldn’t make any more trips up there. His Marcahuasi-Ruzo website is a goldmine of information.⁷ I have spent hours on Google Earth looking at the pictures. The website gives the history of the research at Marcahuasi today.

Resources 

1. ^{Michael Wieck (March 30, 2020) Marcahuasi: Visiting Lima’s Mysterious Stone Forest}
2. ^{Luis Ruzo 2022 Marcahuasi-Ruzo – Website}
3. ^{Claudia Tavani (January 17, 2022) My Adventures Across the World}
4. ^{Mount Rushmore (May 23, 2022) National Park Service, Geologic Activity}
5. ^{Luis Ruzo 2022 Marcahuasi-Ruzo – Website}
6. ^{Claudia Tavani (January 17, 2022) My Adventures Across the World}
7. ^{Luis Ruzo 2022 Marcahuasi-Ruzo – Website}