Incamisana: Engineering an Inca Water Temple

The Incamisana is a water temple at Ollantaytambo in Peru that is a masterpiece of Inca civil engineering and construction. The water temple’s architecture and hydraulic works define Incamisana as a high-status sanctuary for worship of water. Reverse engineering field research and studies of the Incamisana and its mountain watershed were undertaken by Wright Water Engineers, Wright Paleohydrological Institute and archaeologists Arminda Gibaja Oviedo and Dr. Gordon McEwan, supported by a team from the University of Virginia led by Dr. Richard Miksad. Flooding in 1679 preserved the lower portion of the water temple under a deposit of sediment. The excavated temple has fourteen ceremonial fountains with three additional ones that were under construction at the time of abandonment. The water temple’s mountain water supply collection system, canals, fountains, and conduit/distribution system were painstakingly engineered and represent good planning. Intricate and carefully executed cliff carvings that parallel the water temple add an important mystical dimension to this spectacular Inca temple for the worship of water. Inca roads tied Ollantaytambo and the water temple to the greater Inca empire.