Megalithic Tarawasi: Peru’s Hidden Mystery with Brien Foerster

Hi, I'm Cassie Coppersmith, host of the Secrets in Stone YouTube channel and podcast. I recently spent a week in Peru exploring many of the incredible ancient sites in and around Cusco. We visited all the major highlights, the Coricancha, Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and more. What made this trip truly unforgettable was getting to spend the entire week with Brian Forrester. Brian lives in Peru and is, in my opinion, one of the leading experts on the megalithic works of South America and the many mysteries surrounding them, including the famous elongated skulls. If you're not already familiar with Brian and his work, his website is Hidden Inca Tours, which I've linked in the description below. He has several exciting tours coming up, and you can also purchase his books on his website. I highly recommend checking it out. As I mentioned, we spent the week with Brian exploring the major sites around Cusco. The entire week felt like a pinch-me moment. It was such a fun experience seeing these sites through his eyes and getting his perspective. He discussed the enigmatic elongated skulls of Peru, pointed out drill holes and stones that look machined, and took us to out-of-the-way parts of these famous sites to show us stones and mysteries that most tourists miss. This lip would have been facing down. Yeah. Horizontal. Horizontal. And then what do you think those, uh, holes would have been for? But it was all one, like one, one line. Okay. It's a long one. Are there holes on this side? No. The work is, it's so, so smooth. Yeah. But the absolute highlight of the trip was visiting a little-known site called Tarahuasi together. Remarkably, this was Brian's first time at the site. In this episode, I'm going to walk through the history of Tarahuasi and share my on-the-ground footage. I'll also sit down with Brian to hear his impressions after that first visit. He discusses the site's possible pre-Diluvian origins, evidence of an ancient cataclysm, its unusual alignments, and comparisons to other megalithic sites across Peru. You're not going to want to miss this rare opportunity to explore Tarahuasi with Brian Forrester for the very first time. Let's begin with the orientation of the site and a bit of its background. Tarahuasi is located about 70 kilometers west of Cusco, Peru, at an elevation of roughly 2,700 meters, or just under 9,000 feet above sea level. The site sits right beside the road and appears unassuming at first glance. The officially protected area covers over four hectares, or about 11 acres, but the visible portion of the site today is actually quite compact. The most striking feature is an incredible 100-meter-long outer wall built with precisely shaped blocks fitted together in a distinctive honeycomb pattern. Three sides of this wall remain visible today. Inside the enclosure is a raised platform constructed with fitted stone blocks and featuring 28 trapezoidal recessed niches. The site also houses several Spanish colonial structures that incorporated some of the older megalithic blocks into their construction. The official archaeological narrative for Tarahuasi is very similar to that of other major sites in the Cusco region. It's described as an Incan ceremonial and religious center, said to have been built in the mid-1400s. For those unfamiliar with the conventional history of Peru, the Inca emerged in the 12th century A.D. and began a rapid expansion from the Cusco Valley starting around 1438. They grew into a vast and powerful empire until the Spanish conquest brought it all to an end in 1533. Everyone agrees that the Inca were prolific builders of ceremonial centers and an extensive road network. However, mainstream archaeology and many independent researchers strongly disagree on one key point. Archaeologists attribute nearly all of the ancient sites in Peru to the Inca, including the most famous ones, Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, and others, as well as the more simple loose stone constructions. You'll see a similar pattern around the world, where relatively simple stone or brick construction and highly sophisticated megalithic work are both credited to this same culture. There are plenty of videos and resources from Brian Forrester and others that explore this debate in depth, so I won't dwell on it here. I just wanted to provide the context before we look at the distinct construction styles visible at Tarahuasi, what Brian and I refer to in this video as either megalithic or Inca-style work. So again, according to official view, Tarahuasi was an Incan ceremonial center built in the mid-1400s. Because it lies along the Inca road system, it's been classified as an Inca Tombo, a Quechua word meaning inn or way station. These tombos served as rest stops, storage facilities, and administrative centers along the vast Inca road network, providing lodging, food, supplies for officials, troops, and messengers. The visible core of the site has been labeled a At Inca sites, these raised platforms were typically used for ritual performances, state ceremonies, and displays of authority. Since I've mentioned tombos and ushnus, I do want to take a brief moment to show you some of the differences in the stonework of the various ushnus around Peru. In the book Archaeology of the Huacas, written by anthropologist Tamara Bray, ushnus were described as an Incan ritual platform. In her book, she shows several different photos of ushnus. And while the book does discuss the differences in stonework quality, this is attributed to the difference in how status, religious identity, and sacred meaning was expressed. In other words, it is taken as a given that all of these structures were built by the same people, even though the construction style and quality vary widely. So back to the dating of Tarahuasi. All I can say is that the actual archaeological evidence supporting the dating and interpretation of this site is shockingly thin. In fact, of all of the ancient sites I've researched around the world, Tarahuasi has seen by far the least amount of formal archaeological investigation. There has only been one official excavation conducted in 1934. That project involved removing later structures and digging into two large trenches to trace the buried portions of the walls. No information about recovered artifacts was ever published, and aside from some drainage work to help preserve the walls, no further excavations have taken place since then. There are no peer-reviewed papers on this site and no radiocarbon dates. The current understanding of Tarahuasi rests entirely on the regional Inca expansion timelines, comparisons of architectural styles, and its location along a known Inca road. The entire official history is based on historical inference and comparative archaeology rather than direct scientific evidence. So with that background in mind, let's take a closer look at the site itself. As you approach from the parking area, the first thing you see is the long rectangular wall that encloses the complex. Notably, neither this wall nor the overall structure is aligned to the cardinal directions. Instead, the entire site is oriented along a northeast to southwest axis. Brian shares his thoughts on this orientation during our conversation, but I'll mention that this orientation is not unique to Tarahuasi. Several other major megalithic sites in the Cusco region, including Machu Picchu, parts of Cusco itself, and Sacsayhuaman, also feature walls aligned on or very close to the same northeast to southwest axis. Three sides of this vast outer wall are still visible today. According to reports, it's built from andesite, a volcanic rock that's been meticulously shaped into blocks and fitted together in a distinctive honeycomb pattern. The precision is remarkable. The wall runs the full length of the north side and then wraps around both the east and west face. The corners of these walls contain some of the most impressive stonework at the site, with their perfectly rounded stones stacked with incredible accuracy. As you continue along the west face of the wall, you'll notice a section of that wall that appears clearly repaired or rebuilt using a much cruder style of stonework, what Brian and I interpret as later Inca repairs. Throughout the original sections of this wall, you'll see a beautiful honeycomb pattern. Many visitors describe the stones as looking almost like flowers or inflated cushions, each piece carefully shaped to fit perfectly against its neighbors. Both the eastern and western walls continue downward and disappear beneath the current ground level at their southern ends. It is believed that there were originally two staircases providing access through the outer wall, but only one remains today. As you climb this staircase, you'll see more of the cruder Inca-style repair work on your left, which looks entirely different from the precision megalithic masonry. Straight ahead stands the central platform built from the same high quality material and finish as the outer walls, but with stones laid in a more regular linear course with flatter faces. This platform may have once had additional upper levels that are now missing. Today the top is simply covered in grass. You can follow the platform's eastern and western sides around, but they too eventually disappear beneath the soil. This platform features 28 outward facing trapezoidal niches, each about 2.2 meters high or roughly seven feet. Eight niches are on the eastern and western sides, and 12 line the northern front wall. Several of the niches still contain the protruding knobs or nubs often seen in megalithic work around the world. As you walk around the platform, you'll notice unusual damage on some stones, particularly those facing north. The surfaces show flaking and peeling that looks quite different from normal weathering. In my interview with Brian, he gives his theory about what might have caused this. You'll also spot several newer carvings added during the colonial times, consisting of several crosses and other symbols, including a distinct spiral on both the and the outer wall. Later Spanish colonial haciendas were built across the western half of the site. Two of these two-story adobe structures still stand today. The adobe, made from sun-dried mud bricks of clay, water, and straw, is now by far the most deteriorated construction at Terawasi, even though it's the most recent. Interestingly, the Spanish builders incorporated massive reused megalithic stones into the doorways and foundations. One especially large stone sits prominently above the main doorway. That particular site was being guarded by especially cute dogs. I couldn't help myself, I had to take their photos. Between the colonial buildings, you can see one of several Inca-era water channels that once carried water from the upper level and through the outer wall. I will note that another researcher, Camille Suave, who has the Sorcerers in Stone YouTube channel and a book by the same name, which I own, has a great video out there on Terawasi where she discusses the sacred geometry and possible encoded ratios in the foundations and walls of the site. So there may be even more to this site than meets the eye. I'd encourage you to check out her work, I've linked her YouTube channel in the description below. And now that you've had a good look at Terawasi, I'll play my interview with Brian, where he shares his first impressions and some fascinating theories about its origins. So this is your first time here? Yeah. What are your impressions? It's pretty mind-blowing. This is Terawasi, located two hours outside of Cusco, 10 hours from the coast. Why it was built here, I have no idea, but looking at the craftsmanship, perfectly fitting joinery, so this is clearly megalithic. This is pre-Inca, adopted by the Inca maybe a thousand years ago or so. The stone is from a quarry on top of this mountain. The man who takes care of us told me you can see the evidence of the quarry up on top. It's a type of volcanic stone, but it's not like a granite, it's more similar to something like volcanic tuff, which is highly compressed ash, which is probably what it is. But an absolutely amazing site. I've driven past this place many times on the way to the coast or the way to my deceased father-in-law's house. Always wanted to come here. You know, it's only two hours from Cusco. It's not like it's a huge distance, but just so fortunate to be able to experience this with you guys. So yeah, I'm blown away. I didn't think the quality of workmanship would be as good as it is. It's just, it's as good as anything in Cusco. Yeah. Did you notice the flaking on some of the stones? Do you have any impressions from that? Yeah, well, being a volcanic ash or just a volcanic stone in general, it would have a tendency to crumble like a sugar cube, but here you see it peeling off in layers like it's sedimentary, which doesn't make any sense. So that could indicate that it was hit by high heat a long, long time ago, maybe during the Younger Dryas period or before, but say 12,000 to 13,000 years ago. You see evidence of this kind of stuff at other sites, like in Cusco or Vilca Suaman and different locations in Peru, but it's not, it's not a normal way for volcanic stone to decompose. Right, and then I noticed at least three different glyphs on the site. There's the spiral on top, there's something that looks almost like an upside down umbrella, and then across. Do you think that at least two of the three of those may be Inca? I think probably. You can see that the carving of the designs are pretty crude, so that indicates being pounded by a stone hammer of some kind. The cross is, you know, Catholic, I would think, but the other two symbols are probably of the Inca time period. I mean, it's so well maintained, too, that clearly this was a very important site for the Inca, so-called ceremonial site, but it does not align to north, south, east, and west, which indicates that the position of the North Pole was different at the time of its construction, so that would be, again, at least 13,000 years ago, which a lot of people don't believe that, but I've done so many videos that indicate that, that the pole has, the pole is not stable. It shifts from time to time, most likely every half great year, which is 26,000 years, so every 13,000, the series of cataclysms that hit the earth all over the place, causing it to destabilize, and 13,000 years ago, of course, the great ice cap in the north melted quite quickly at the end of the last ice age. According to Dr. Robert Shock, there was one event called Pulse 1B, where the world's oceans rose by 100 feet in two weeks, so yeah. And as far as Inca structures that you've seen around here, it seems minimal to me compared to the other sites I've been to. There's some stonework up on top or repair that looks a little bit Inca, and then the water channels that we saw, I counted three of them total after exploring all four corners of this site, most of them buried by grass, so the one you and I saw together was by far the best maintained. No, that's definitely for the Inca time period. You see the big gaps between the stone. The Inca were not capable of doing super tight joinery, and you know, for water flowing, you're going to have water moving anyway, so it doesn't matter. You don't have to have a tight fit, but that's, yeah, the water channels are clearly Inca. And then, of course, we had the Spanish take a couple of the really large megaliths. There's one around the side of this site. There's one inside this structure right here. Big square stone blocks that the Spanish used to build some of the bases of their buildings and keep within the courtyard, but we're seeing at least three different time periods here, reusing some of the original megalithic stones. Right, that's standard for this part of the world. You have the pre-Inca megalithic, then you have the Inca, then you have the Spanish, and you go from perfect stonework, like what we're looking at here, to Inca, which is good. The front and the back of the buildings are tight-fitting. The center is filled with material, and then you have the really crappy Spanish colonial adobe. You know, it's just, I'm not putting the Spanish down. I'm just stating a fact. You go from almost perfect to good to pretty bad. Well, and it is by far the newest construction on the site, and it's the only part that's cordoned off that you can't go in because it's not safe to walk around anymore. That's right, that's a good point. Any other impressions from the site that you'd like to share? I'm just, I'm shocked at the quality of it. Like I was telling you earlier in the van, I tend to not do a lot of research before I visit a site because I want to be surprised, and I am surprised at the level of workmanship. It's astonishing. I see, on this original wall, I see no tool marks whatsoever, so that indicates that it was done using some kind of technology beyond the Inca, beyond the Spanish, beyond us in the 21st century. And you've lived here for over 20 years. You've seen thousands of sites. Which site does this one remind you most of? I would say the high quality work in downtown Cusco in the megalithic sector, which is always, almost always the core part of any complex, because the Inca would find a site, adopt it, build around it, and then of course the Spanish would come and plunder it. But yeah, this is as high quality stonework as I've ever seen anywhere on the planet. Amazing. It's such an honor to be able to explore this site for the first time with you. Oh, my pleasure. Thank you for coming. Yeah, thank you. Okay, sure. What an incredible experience it was to hear Brian's immediate reactions to Terawasi. Interviewing him right there on the steps of this ancient site is definitely one of my top five megalithic moments. After exploring the site myself and hearing Brian's insights, it's clear to me, as it is with so many places across Peru, that Terawasi is truly ancient. It appears to be a site that has been repaired and reused over vast periods of time by the Inca and later by the Spanish. Walking among these stones always leaves me wondering, what did the original builders have in mind when they built these structures with this incredible stonework? Why this specific orientation? And how much more of the site still lies buried underground, waiting for its secrets to be revealed? Before I wrap up, if you're interested in traveling with me to ancient sites like this, I'm excited to announce that Derek Olson of Megalithic Marvels and I have just launched a tour to Cambodia for January 2027. We've designed it to visit all of the most impressive ancient sites in Cambodia, with an optional four-day extension into southern Laos. If you'd like to join us, there's a link in the description. Thanks for joining me today to explore the ancient and little-known site of Terawasi. For those who want more, I've added some extra footage and photos at the end of this video, including some bonus footage of some of the incredible elongated skulls that Brian showed us during our visit to Peru. If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review on your favorite platform, and follow me on Instagram, X, and Facebook at Secrets in Stone. Thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you next time.