Constructive and earthquake-resistant aspects of modelled-earth, a technique in ancient Peru

Abstract

[EN] Modelled earth was a pre-Inca construction technique used extensively in ancient Peru. It comprised placing portions of mud in horizontal rows to build walls and large buildings. They did all this without the aid of molds, unlike the Tapia of European origin. Unfortunately, there is a lack of written, graphic or oral evidence that would help to better understand how pre-Columbian walls were made. Therefore, the research was based on the study of the buildings to plan hypotheses about the construction procedure and their structural performance, given that the area where they were built is highly seismic. Because of this work, it can be affirmed that the ancient Peruvians used seismic-resistance strategies in their buildings comprising the use of segmentation of the earth structures, with the criterion of keeping the blocks joined to each other using support planes to form the final architectural volume. This technique converted a fragile earth element into a behavior close to ductility. We postulate that, through these joints, seismic energy was dissipated, and they got a greater deformation capacity without the total collapse of the structure.