The Stone Forest of Marcahuasi
On a high Andean plateau, the rocks seem to have faces: a giant head, animals, figures watching over the valley.
What was reported
Marcahuasi is a plateau about 4,000 metres up in the Andes east of Lima, covered in large granite rock formations. Many look like faces or animals, and the most famous, the 'Monument to Humanity', is said to show several human faces when seen from different angles.
In the 1950s, the Peruvian writer Daniel Ruzo claimed the rocks were carved by a lost civilisation he called the Masma, and the site became popular with spiritual seekers.
Explanations offered
Geologists say the shapes were made by wind, rain and frost wearing down the granite unevenly. People naturally see faces in shapes, an effect called pareidolia, and the light at different times of day adds to it. No evidence of carving or of a lost civilisation has been found.
- When
- Claims from the 1950s
- Where
- Marcahuasi plateau, Lima region, Peru
- Witnesses
- Hikers and visitors
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.