The Inca of Ancient Peru didn’t have mechanical watches to keep track of the time…they had the Intihuatana, an astronomical clock.

This past summer, my 18 year old daughter, Elana Herman, had the opportunity to visit one of the wonders of the world, Machu Picchu, during an intensive eight-week language immersion program in Cusco, Peru. She realized that her 2008 Omega Seamaster was not the only way to measure time. In visiting the Inca ruins, she learned that this was once a very advanced civilization; they had aqueducts with running water, brain surgery, and astronomical clocks to measure time.

The ways we relate to time and our time pieces are as unique and distinct as each one of us. Some of us look down at our watch and recall many of the accomplishments, as well as the trials and tribulations, of a full life. Others look down at the same watch, maybe passed down from a loved one, and remember who they are or were as a person, what they stood for. It’s a time capsule of sorts. If your watches could talk, what would yours have to say?

The Inca of ancient Peru did not have the luxury of mechanical watches, instead, they had Intihuatana, ritual stones that served as an astronomical clock or calendar.

The word Intihuatana translates from the native Quechua language as “Place to tie up the sun”. During equinoxes, the sun stands directly above the Intihuatana and creates no shadow whatsoever. Rituals around this event had many spiritual implications, and one objective was to “tie the sun in place” in order to guarantee a good harvest and general prosperity.

In a way, the Inca civilization worshipped time through their relationship to the sun, believing that it was a source for all life. Through our modern timepieces, we maintain a parallel relationship to the sun. With an automatic watch, the gravitational pull of the sun and gravity cause the oscillating weight to pivot, winding the watch.

To this day, people aspire to visit Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world. It is considered a source of good luck and positive energy. I am proud to share the picture above of my daughter. I am also grateful that it has forced me to think about the Incas and their Intihuatana, which demonstrates the enduring storytelling powers of a beautiful timepiece.