Others may set up the straw men of Von Daniken and other shysters to "prove" that fire powered hydraulic pumps did not exist until modern times, rather than look at the schematics and evidence of every feature* of the pump existing in the great pyramid.

*again- all except the butterfly valve.

That such a rudimentary technology existed back then was not my main point. I was pointing out that the easiest explanation for many archeological discoveries has been to declare many findings "a religious site". This is like an "intelligent design" explanation and is an excuse for lack of scholorship. It is preferable to say "we don't know".

I do not know how the 20-50 ton stones were carried atop a mountain or interlocked in the buildings of Machu Pichu.
I am not willing to assume they were built for religious purposes.
Transmuting the fear of death with religious teachings of life ever after can be a powerful motivation to do remarkable things in life but without proof or mechanical explanations it remains a mystery to me.