The Ifugao Rice Terraces · Fields Built Over Two Thousand Years

The rice terraces of Ifugao were built by hand two thousand years ago, stone carried and laid along the mountain up into the clouds, with irrigation water led down from the forest at the highest level.

Local people say the terrace walls must be repaired every year, because “the mountain walks downhill by itself”. They also say that the highest section is left to the ancestral spirits and must not be cultivated.

When the fog rises off the fields in the rainy season, those walking the walls often hear water pass behind them — the water of the terrace above, a step ahead of them.

Natural Mysteries / Ifugao · Philippines / 2000 years ago