1850s Peru, Lima, Panama structures by Ephraim George Squier

Came across an interesting book published by Harper & Brothers in New York in 1877. It is titled - Peru. Incidents of travel and exploration in the land of the Incas, and was authored by Ephraim George Squier. The book contains some fairly interesting images of various structures observed by the author around 1850s. Basically, wanted to hear your opinion on what Mr. Squier observed 170 years ago. Who do you think might have contributed to the existence of those buildings?

Ephraim George Squier
Ephraim George Squier.jpg

1821-1888
  • Squier was born in Bethlehem, New York, the son of a minister of English heritage and his Palatine German wife. In early youth he worked on a farm, attended and taught school, studied engineering, and became interested in American antiquities. The Panic of 1837 made an engineering career unfeasible, so he pursued literature and journalism. He was associated in the publication of the New York State Mechanic at Albany 1841-1842. In 1843-1848, he engaged in journalism in Hartford, Connecticut and then edited the Chillicothe, Ohio weekly newspaper the Scioto Gazette.
  • In 1849 he was appointed special chargé d'affaires to all the Central American states, and negotiated treaties with Nicaragua, Honduras, and San Salvador. In 1853 he made a second visit to Central America to examine a line for a projected interoceanic railroad, and to make further study of the archaeology of the country. In 1856 he received the medal of the French Geographical Society for his researches. In 1858, he married Miriam Florence Folline who had recently had a previous marriage annulled.
  • About 1860, he became editor-in-chief for Frank Leslie's publishing house, and supervised the publication of the first two volumes of Frank Leslie's Pictorial History of the American Civil War. In 1863 Squier was appointed U. S. commissioner to Peru, where he made an exhaustive investigation of Inca remains and took numerous photographs of them. He later gave a series of 12 lectures on "The Inca Empire" for the Lowell Institute for their 1866-67 season. In 1868 he was appointed consul-general of Honduras at New York, and in 1871 he was elected the first president of the Anthropological Institute of New York. He conducted ethnological studies, especially in Nicaragua, Honduras and Peru.
  • On returning from Peru, he continued working for Frank Leslie, but gave it up when his health failed. In 1873, his wife divorced him, and married Leslie a year later. In 1874 his health became so seriously impaired as to preclude further original research, and though he subsequently recovered sufficiently to direct the final preparation and revision of his work on Peru for publication, the affection resulted in his death. He was a member of numerous historical, archaeological, and scientific societies. He died in Brooklyn, New York.
The Builders
allegedly
inca_buildres_1.jpg


Peru, Panama, Lima...
Travel and exploration in the land of the Incas
doorway_cuzco.jpg

Pachacamac_Arch_2.jpg

virracocha_temple_ruins.jpg

Castillo_Huanuco_Viejo.jpg

gateway and valley of Ollantaytambo.jpg

a_palace_of_the_inca.jpg

american_stonehenge_tiahuanuco.jpg

first_inca_palaca.jpg

columns_figures_Tihuanuco.jpg
first_inca_palaca.jpg

inca_burial-towers.jpg

other_gateway_front_1.jpg

other_gateway_front_2.jpg

Ruins_Cajamarquilla.jpg

Ruins_Cajamarquilla_Doorways.jpg

sun_circle_sillustani.jpg

a_fountain_of_incas.jpg

Necropoilis_Chimu.jpg

Necropoilis_Chimu_2.jpg

Demolishing_Huaca_Limatambo.jpg

Ruins_Cajamarquilla_1.jpg

Plan_Temple_Pachacamac.jpg

Hall_Arabesques_Chimu.jpg

Wall_Huaca_Near_Limatambo.jpg

monolitic_doorway.jpg

Balsa_Bridge_Rio_Desaguadero.jpg

First_Palace_Chimu.jpg

Plan_Fortress_Quisque.jpg

wall_temple_sun_cizco.jpg

Walls_Chimu.jpg

Walls_Chimu_1.jpg

a_palace_of_the_inca_chambers.jpg aqueduct_rodadero.jpg fortress_piquillacta.jpg fortress_walls.jpg Gateway_cemetery_front.jpg Gateway_cemetery_rear.jpg houses_near_virracocha_temple.jpg incas_bath.jpg inti_huatana_pisac.jpg Pachacamac_Arch.jpg ruins_at_landing.jpg sacred_rock_Manco_capac.jpg seats_in_rock.jpg symbolic_slab.jpg temple_sun_cusco_walls.jpg The_Rampart_Panama.jpg View_Cemetery_Lima.jpg View_Pachacamac.jpg

The book also has multiple illustrations not related to architecture. Highly recommend to take a look at those.


KD: I'm anything but expert on the Inca culture, but really... are we being told that Incas built structures like these? Arches, Columns, etc?
  • Wondering if all of these have survived since Mr. Esquier visited their sites. One of the images clearly states "Demolishing Huaca, Limatambo"
 
The doorways are most probably slot antennas, like castles, or towers with thin windows, like an electromagnetic flute
 
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