A Hydraulic Engineering Study of the Incamisana, Ollantaytambo, Peru

Richard Miksad, Kenneth Wright, Luke Wildfire, Arminda Gibaja OviedoJenna Sollner, Ben Doran

Incamisana Project Objectives

• To determine the current , and pre‐Hispanic, hydraulic characteristics of the ceremonial fountains and channels of the Incamisana.

• To determine the current, and pre‐Hispanic, sources of water for the Incamisana.

• To carry out a hydrological exploration of the pre‐Hispanic canals in the Patakancha and YuraqmayoRiver basins.

A Hydraulic Engineering Study of the Incamisana, Ollantaytambo, Peru

1. Overview of the Incamisana at Ollantaytambo

2. Hydraulics of the Incamisana Fountains

3. Hydrology of the water sources for the Incamisana

4. Summary

Ollantaytambo – Incamisana

Incamisana

The Incamisana is located north of the Manyaraki, and consists of a conjunto of rooms, open spaces, and ornamental fountains, 

connected by surface and buried channels. 

Incamisana

“Beautifully crafted fountains fed cascading waters through exquisitely carved channels, from one to the next”‐ Protzen

The Incamisana hydraulic system operates by gravity with a total elevationchange of 25meters over the 380 meter length of the temple complex.

The Incamisana has two distinct sectors.  A Religious High Status Sector north of the Sacred Rock, and a Ceremonial Sector south of the Sacred Rock.

Between the Inkamisana Temple and the Manyaraki, is an extensive terrace complex, and a vast Open Plaza Sector.  The plaza is the result of flood depositions of 3 meters of silt.  It’s Inca era infrastructure is unknown. The plaza terminates in the Fountain House and the adjacent Rock Fountain. The Princes Fountain is located on the east side of the Manyaraki canal. 

Princess Fountain

Fountain House

Rock Fountain Open Plaza Sector

A Hydraulic Engineering Study of the Incamisana, Ollantaytambo, Peru

1. Overview of the Incamisana at Ollantaytambo

2. Hydraulics of the Incamisana Fountains

3. Hydrology of the water sources for the Incamisana

4. Summary

Religious High Status Sector: Fountains 1, 2 & 3 receive water from a  branch of a bifurcating open channel carved into the cliff face. The other branch of the channel runs an additional 35 meters to a carved drop that feeds Fountain 4.

4a4b

There are four operable fountains, and two unfinished fountains in theReligious High Status sector north of the Sacred Rock. This is an area of thetemple where the building walls were plastered and where there are severalrooms and many niches. Three of the niches are extraordinary; they are triple‐jamb niches.

Fountains 1,2,3 Fountain 4

Fountains 1, 2, 3 and 4are served by a 90 gpmcapacity bifurcating open channel cut into the bedrock near the far north end of the temple. The left canal branch feeds Fountains 1, 2, 3 . The right branch feeds Fountain 4 via a uniquely carved cliff‐side channel.

Fountain 4 is furnished water via a 42 meter long canal carved into the cliff face. Thecanal represents masterful planning, high status stone cutting, and hydraulic gradecontrol

Carved channel to Fountain 4

Fountain 4

High Status stone walls bordering the Fountain 4, 4a, 4b complex 

Fountain 4 and Unfinished Fountains 4a and 4b

44a

4b

Carved Drop Channelsfor Fountains 4 & 4a

4a 4

4

Diverter 4a

Outflow port for unfinished Fountain 4a 

44a

4a outflow

Ftn 4b

Ftn 4

4b

Ftn 4a ?

Unfinished Fountain 4a outflow port was intended to discharge into a double width conduit, which splits into Conduits 1 & 2 at the Sacred Fountain 15 meters later.

“Green Stone” lining of the floor of the conduit designed to handle the discharge from unfinished Fountain 4a.  

“Purling” in the conduit designed to receive waterfrom the unfinished Fountain 4a

Unfinished Fountain 4b

Ceremonial sector hydraulics: Fountains 5, 6a/6b, and 7a/7b are furnished with water by three, 60 meter long, subsurface conduits.  The conduits receive water from the outflow of the Religious sector, and from an intake diversion from the Manyaraki canal

Platform 1 “drops” to Platform 2 via sub‐surface Conduits 1 and 2.  The Sacred Rock is in background

Conduit 1 Conduit 2

Platform 2 “drop”to Platform 3 via conduit 2. Conduit 3 has a sub‐surface drop. Channel 1 runs beneath the pathway

Conduit 1Conduit 2

Conduit 3

Ceremonial sector: Fountains 5, 6a/6b,7a/7b 

The four operable Ceremonial Sector fountains are hydraulically designed toutilize greater to use a greater flow than the northern sector Fountains (1, 2, 3and 4) can supply. An additional supply of about 210 gallons/minute is takenfrom the from the Manyaraki canal.

Fountains  7a &7bFountain 6a & 6b

Conduit 1 flow exits via a drop on the east side of Fountain 6b. Conduit 1water was apparently intend to supply an unfinished fountain with two broadweirs. We refer to this fountain as “Unfinished Fountains 5a & 5b”.

5a 5b 6b

Open Plaza sector hydraulics: the Fountain House, and the Rock Fountain, at the Manyaraki entrance. The Princess Fountain located across the Manyaraki irrigaton canal.

Princess Fountain

Fountain House

Rock Fountain Open Plaza Sector

The Fountain House  

The Rock Fountain

Princess Fountain, and Upper Fountain

Fountain Flow Rate Calculations Q = VjetAflow

“Woodward Formula”

Channel and Canal Flow Calculations

A Hydraulic Engineering Study of the Incamisana, Ollantaytambo, Peru

1. Overview of the Incamisana at Ollantaytambo

2. Hydraulics of the Incamisana Fountains

3. Hydrology of the water sources for the Incamisana

4. Summary

Canals of Ollantaytambo Watershed

The Current and pre‐Hispanic Water Supply for the Incamisana Water Temple

Hauca Canal

Manyaraki Canal

Bandolista Canal

Patacancha River

GPS Measurements

The Bandolista, Huaca, and Manyaraki water supply canals as they enter the Inkamisana

Huaca Canal

Bandolista Canal

Manyaraki Canal

The water supply for the Inkamisana fountains 1, 2, 3 and 4 is via an ancient canal at the west edge of the Rio Patakanchafloodplain.  

We call this canal, which has been maintained by modern farmers, the “Huaca Canal.”

Huaca Canal

OriginOrigin

Incamisana

The Manyaraki Canal provides a second modern source of water for the Incamisanafor the Princess Fountain, and flows through the Manyaraki sector

Manyaraki Canal 

Origin

Incamisana

The Bandolista Canal has a distinct, well preserved diversion structure (boca toma) in the Rio Puma Paqcha.  This diversion, directly from the stream, is the source of the water in this canal.  This canal is not fed directly by a spring.

Bandolista Canal

Origin

Most of the evidence of the Bandolista Canal down‐valley of Media Luna is preserved as canal walls.  Actual canal pieces are few and far between. This canal is lost in a landslide above the village of Bandolista, but continues above the store‐houses down‐valley from the village.

Down‐valley there is some evidence of the Bandolista Canal, but the pieces that remain indicate that this canal is pre‐Inca (Killke) and would have continued on a gravity flow route to the 8 terraces of Inkamisana.

Bandolista Canal ‐ Incamisana

Incamisana

A Hydraulic Engineering Study of the Incamisana, Ollantaytambo, Peru

1. Overview of the Incamisana at Ollantaytambo

2. Hydraulics of the Incamisana Fountains

3. Hydrology of the water sources for the Incamisana

4. Summary

The Incamisana water temple represents an Inca engineering masterpiece ofplanning and construction for water focused religious ceremonies andofferings. The architecture and hydraulic works define a high status templefor worship of water.