These pyramids were used as temples, palaces, and observatories. Latin American pyramids often had a small building on top, a trait never seen in Egyptian pyramids. They were stepped, but also had stairs to the top unlike the earliest Egyptian pyramids. Latin American pyramids were not built to the exact building standards of the Egyptians, they were built largely of rubble with a stone finish. They were built as tombs for their God-Kings, and were constructed between 3,000-600 BC. Egyptian pyramids were marvels of engineering, being built to very specific and exact proportions. They were also built using vastly different construction methods, and for completely different purposes. A claim made is “since various pyramids exist in unconnected cultures across the world (and that’s pretty insane amirite?) they must be some how connected, therefore aliens.” This would be remarkable if the pyramids of Egypt and those of Latin America were not built nearly 3,000 years apart. This is possibly due to the simple yet mysterious elegance of the Egyptian Pyramids. Pyramids from various cultures are a constant feature of Ancient Aliens writers. People were perfectly capable of monumental buildings at the time. The Florentine Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, finished 1436, around the same time as Machu Picchu. When compared to other buildings at the time, Machu Picchu and others become merely feats of human engineering, rather than supernatural ones. Norman castles in Wales do not feature in Ancient Aliens writings and programs. Furthermore, on every continent for much of history cities were often built on hills and mountains as a means of defense. Machu Picchu wasn’t found and seized by the Spanish Conquistadors and thus lost its importance to the city of Lima, modern-day capital of Peru, and thus became “remote”. It’s also important to note Machu Picchu wasn’t situated in a remote place if you were an Inca. Especially if one uses limestone, another relatively brittle type of rock. Furthermore, the Incas had copper tools which would have made the process forming the stones even easier. Splitting stones using natural cracks with a large, cheap labour force is relatively simple. As earlier, Machu Picchu isn’t particularly ancient either, it was completed ca. Machu Picchu is further example, and they make clams about Incan stonework, a method which didn’t use mortar or cement. The stone has been used decorative carvings and art all the way back to the Stone Age. Secondly, the stonework would be remarkable if the buildings were not made of sandstone, a sedimentary rock which is relatively soft. First, this complex isn’t remarkably ancient, it was built ca. A common claim regarding the temple complex known as Pumapunku is that the stones are too exact and well carved for the technology of the time, fitting “perfectly” with “exact” carving. Examples which feature prominently in Ancient Aliens include Machu Picchu, the lesser-known Pumapunku (a large temple in modern-day Bolivia) the Nazca Lines, and of course various stone circles and similar structures. These claims often go “Building X has Architectural Trait Y that was not feasible at the time, therefore aliens.” The building in question is often non-European and in a “remote” place. We have a proven fraud, a likely fraud and/or lunatic, and a guy from the 1900’s who was joking. Grandiose claims require unquestionable evidence, and their “evidence” does not stand up to the slightest scrutiny by the outsider.
Ancient Astronaut/Alien Theories, for example the History Channel program “Ancient Aliens”, are demonstrably fictitious hoaxes. Tsoukalos fall into these three categories. Nearly every argument and “evidence” given by people such as Erich von Däniken and Giorgio A. Rather than refute every single claim made by these charlatans, we will group their evidence into three broad categories: monumental buildings, purported aliens and UFOs in art, and religious-related claims. This article will discuss the ideas of Ancient Aliens writers.
While genuine historians do not give these works of fiction the time of day, this blog does not make the pretense of being academic. Often, academic explanations are made to appear dismissive of evidence. If ever contrary opinions are mentioned, they misrepresent and simplify them. However, these are works of proven liars and hoaxers, ones who ignore tested methods. Originally popular with New Age/Hippie types in the 1970’s, they found a renewed popularity among conspiracy theorists, and of course among their original demographic as well. Largely thanks to the internet and a drive for ratings by the History Channel, so-called “Ancient Astronaut Theories” have resurfaced in the public imagination.
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