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Photo taken in 1965
demonstrating how the Incas terraced agricultural lands in the Andes Mountains
region of Peru. These artificial agricultural terraces are referred to as
"andenes" and function to create arable land for agricultural crops in the steep
Andean Mountains. The purpose of the terraces is three-fold. First,
terracing a zone increases the surface area available for crops. Second,
it prevents soil erosion and surface runoff. Third, using terraces
facilitates irrigation. In areas such as Machu Picchu, irrigation was
accomplished via natural artesian springs. In other area, canals and
ditches were built to transport the irrigation water to a given area. Many
of the agricultural terraces that were built during the reign of the Incas still
survive and are actively used to produce crops. Undoubtedly, one of the major
factors in the success of the Inca culture and the Quechua people was their
advanced agricultural technology. Many of the world's important crops,
such as potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), maize (Zea mays), quinoa (Chenopodium
quinoa), kiwicha (Amaranthus sp.), and avocados (Persea americana),
were bred and cultivated by the ancient Incas and by their descendents, the
Quechua people, who are one of the indigenous people living in the Andes
Mountains of South America.
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