New Incan Find One-Ups Peru's Famous 12 Angle Stone

Hundreds of years after it was precisely carved and placed into a wall, a stone has been found in Peru that could undermine the country's famous 12 Angle Stone.

Researchers say the stone is part of "a hydraulic system built at the archaeological site Inkawasi in Huancavelica," hundreds of miles from the other stone that has long been revered as a paragon of the Inca's intricate masonry.

The find was announced by Peru's Ministry of Culture, which says the 13-angled stone was part of a water system that irrigated a strategic area southeast of Lima.

"Inkawasi, located about 3,800 meters [12,467 feet] above sea level, was believed to have been one of the most important Inca fortresses in Huancavelica," says The Peruvian Times. "The site was strategically important as it was located at the start of the river that irrigates the Huaytara valley."

It remains to be seen whether the new stone might rival the 12 Angle Stone that has drawn thousands of tourists to the ruins of Hatunrumiyoc Palace in Cusco. That stone remains an integral part of a wall that lines a street with imposingly large stones, all intricately joined together in what one visitor calls "a unique stone puzzle."