Visualizing Sacsayhuamán is an ongoing collaboration between artist Kevin Eslinger and archaeologists Dr. Alexei Vranich and Dr. Stephen Berquist of the University of Warsaw.
The project explores how digital visualization can serve as a form of archaeological reasoning, not simply a tool for illustration, but a method for testing hypotheses about how ancient structures were built, used, and experienced.

Using a combination of handheld LiDAR, drone-based photogrammetry, GIS mapping, and architectural modeling, the team is reconstructing the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuamán in Cusco, Peru. The site survives today largely as foundations, yet those stones contain measurable clues about its original form. By correlating footing widths, wall alignments, and historical descriptions, the team builds digital “ghost forms” that rise directly from the data, creating a visual laboratory where engineering, archaeology, and art intersect.

The goal is not to produce a single “final” reconstruction, but to maintain a living model that evolves as new evidence and interpretations emerge. Every stone, wall, and height can be re-examined, making the model both a research tool and an educational platform for scholars, students, and the public alike.