How they were carved is still a mystery. The art is lost,
perhaps was lost even before the conquest.
The why is another matter. The answer probably lies in the complex
and rigid religion of the Incas. Most of these strange carvings are sacred
shrines called Huacas.
There were supposedly 333 huacas in and around Cusco. They were situated
along 40 so called "ceque" lines, that radiated like spokes of
a wheel from Coricancha, the "Temple of the Sun," in Cusco.
Photo by Kurt Bennett