Case file · Anomaly hotspot
Marcahuasi 'Masma' sculptures
From 1952 Peruvian writer Daniel Ruzo claimed the eroded granite outcrops of the Marcahuasi plateau were sculptures of a lost 'Masma' civilisation.
1952 CE · -11.77, -76.58 · status: claim
The account
Ruzo saw faces and animals, including the 'Monument to Humanity', and later linked the site to prophecy. Marcahuasi became a centre for UFO watchers and New Age camping.
The sceptical view
Geologists explain the shapes as natural weathering of volcanic rock; the faces depend on viewing angle and light (pareidolia).