What are the mysteries of Ica Stones?

The Ica stones are one of such ancient conundrums whose ambiguity about their authenticity regarding their archaic origins and futuristic depictions is still an enigma yet to be solved. The excellent representation on the stones is something that is still a mystery. The engravings on the stone resemble the Peruvians as a much more advanced culture that holds the scientific secrets of today’s world. Well, the credibility of the stones is still in question.

What are Ica Stones:

The stones itself derived its name from the place it’s found which is Ica, capital of the region in the south west of Peru. They are grey Andesite stones ranging from size 3*1.5*2.5cm to 40 cm. It 's is nearly impossible to carve such hard stone, but the images are scratched through the oxidised surfaces, varying from simple to complex designs which are reminiscent of Parkas, Nazca, Tiwanaku, or Inca cultures. While others are unidentifiable. A thin Patina is developed as a result of weathering.

Depictions on Stones:

Some stones depict geometric symbols and images commonly called as Petroglyphs. But what caught the attention of many were, engravings of humans and dinosaurs interacting, maps of undiscovered continents at that times, figures of astrologers and astronomical instruments like a telescope and flying machines. Even modern medical techniques like caesareans section, heart transplant, brain surgery and acupuncture used in anaesthesia.

Despite many other similar archaeological finds, Ica stone became a highly publicised topic when a Peruvian physician, Dr. Javier Cabrera Darquea, in 1966, began collecting the stones due to his interest in Peruvian prehistory and later in 1970 open a museum showcasing around 11,000 such stones.

In the book that he penned, “The Message of Engraved Stones of Ica”, he stated that modern man originated around 405 million years ago created by leptolithic men, who were aliens and transplanted their cognitive codes to create new men on earth.

The Controversy:

However, all these were considered as a complete hoax because in 1973, Basilio Uschuya, the farmer who collected and sold the stones to Dr Cabrera, stated in an interview that they were fake.  In 1977 in a BBC documentary “Pathway to the Gods”, he forged an Ica stone using Dentist drill and baked the stone in cow dung to produce a fake Patina.

In 1998 Spanish investigator Vincent Paris declared that the micro photographs of the stones showed traces of modern paints and abrasives and crispness of shallow engravings proves it to be recent works as ancient ones must have demonstrated the substantial erosion of surfaces.

Are the Carvings Authentic:

And also the fact that they are not organic rocks should carbon-14 dating, or radiometric dating is not possible. Even then the confirmation of the age of the rock cannot contradict the fact that the engravings might have been done later. The authentication of the stones is yet to be verified amidst the whole scandal. However, many enthusiasts believe that Uschuya might have lied in the interview to avoid prison.

Peruvian Government has strict laws regarding the selling of archaeological artefacts, which he even claimed later in some interviews. If the stones are indeed authentic, then it repudiates our current knowledge about the existence and extent of development of humankind in ancient times. So whether the mystery of Ica stones is a cleverly crafted knock off or reality is completely up to our judgment.