Twelve Angled Stone

Set into a wall on Hatun Rumiyoc street in central Cusco, this famous granite block is celebrated for the precision with which its twelve angles interlock with neighboring stones without mortar. It formed part of the palace of the Inca ruler Roca and now anchors the wall of the Archbishop's Palace. The fit is so exact that a blade cannot be slipped between the joints, illustrating the mastery of Inca masonry. A steady stream of visitors pauses to photograph the stone, which has become a shorthand for Andean stonework.