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Vestiges where stonework seems to have been treated with this technology can be found in Peru—inside the city of Cusco on the walls of Koricancha and Loreto Street, and around Cusco at Sacsayhuamén, Kenko, Tetecaca, Templo de la Luna (or Amaru Machay), Zona X, Tambo Machay, Puca Pucara, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Machu Picchu and Raqchi—and in Bolivia, at Tiahuanaco. During many visits to the vestiges mentioned, Jestis Gamarra and Jan Peter de Jong examined these stones with highly reflective surfaces. They captured many of them on video. Through personal observations and analysis of the video material, they concluded that something other than polishing must have occurred. The material convinces in several ways. The vitrified spots show discolouration and smoothness around the particular areas. They clearly look like the stone has been melted just in those spots. Many cases display some or all of the following qualities: ¢ the melted effect is obvious ¢ reflection is high ¢ the layer refracts, diffracts and diffuses light ¢ a separate vitrified layer is present on the surface ¢ damaged layers show a "film" on the stone the glazed layer is independent of rock type ¢ the surface is smooth to the touch, even if the surface is irregular e there is often associated heat discoloration surrounding the glaze. A simple flashlight test was developed, which helps to identify the layers of glaze or glass. Filming was carried out at night with a flashlight beam passing through the glaze. This shows the reflection and diffraction of the light as it passes through the surface. Sacsayhuamén, Kenko and Loreto Street were al filmed at night using a flashlight or nocturna illumination to capture the effect. The diffraction effec can be seen in the video of the "Inca throne" a Sacsayhuamén. The rainbow effect is clearly captured by the camera. This is directly linked to the ligh passing through the glass layer and splitting into its constituent parts. After this effect was noticed, it was also detected on videos of other vitrified stones. The effect can be viewed on a short video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_8ri2fiwl, and also on the DVD documentary The Cosmogony of the Three Worlds in the section on vitrified stones. An overview of this phenomenon is available on YouTube at http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=x81-5SWVtUQ, Vitrified Stone Sample Analysis In order to get a clear idea of the make-up of these intriguing layers of stone, a small sample from the Peruvian site called Tetecaca was collected for further analysis. This smooth layer was analysed by researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The main body of the stone shows the spectral The sample taken for scientific analysis is from a rock outcrop above Cusco. Inside a cave, there is an altar formed from rectangular shapes made of the rock. Several lines in the rock have a shiny surface, as if they were branded into it. They are vertical lines on the wall of the cave. The walls are cut out with curved and rectangular forms in them. These are man-made structures, thus natural phenomena can be ruled out. show walls with long, straight, reflecting lines and an altar structure. NEXUS ° 61 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2012 www.nexusmagazine.com