The Incas ruled a vast empire across South America, stretching from Ecuador all the way to central Chile. However, its culture can be most felt in the heart of the empire itself, Peru.
Imagine saving up for decades to be able to build your own house... only to find out that there are mummies buried in the lot you are planning to build on. That is exactly the problem that Peruvian mechanic Hipólito Tica is facing as he tries constructing his house in the capital of Lima.
Lima, Peru's capital and largest city, today has a population of almost 9 million people. But to supply this sprawling metropolis with water, Peruvians still rely on canals that were built before the first Europeans ever set foot on the American continent.
Archaeologists may be closer than ever to deciphering the mystery of ancient Inca "khipus," or knotted string records, after they discovered several of the records at the the place where they were originally used.
