Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 1 (of 8): Aboriginal America
History
Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 1 (of 8): Aboriginal America
America -- Discovery and exploration; America -- History; United States -- History
Two styles are discernible in Inca architecture. The earliest is
an imitation of the cyclopean works of their ancestors on a smaller
scale. The walls were built with polygonal-shaped stones with rough
surfaces, but the stones were much reduced in size. Rows of doorways
with slanting sides and monolithic lintels adorn the façades; while
recesses for _huacas_, shaped like the doorways, occur in the interior
walls. Part of the palace called the Collcampata, at the foot of the
Cuzco fortress, the buildings which were added to the cyclopean work at
Ollantay tampu, the older portion of the Ccuri-cancha temple at Cuzco,
the palaces at Chinchero and Rimac-tampu, are in this earlier style.
The later style is seen mainly at Cuzco, where the stones are laid in
regular courses. No one has described this superb masonry better than
Squier.[1202] No cement or mortar of any kind was used, the edifices
depending entirely on the accuracy of their stone-fitting for their
stability. The palaces and temples were built round a court-yard,
and a hall of vast dimensions, large enough for ceremonies on an
extensive scale, was included in the plan of most of the edifices.
These halls were 200 paces long by 50 to 60 broad. The dimensions of
the Ccuri-cancha temple were 296 feet by 52, and the southwest end
was apsidal. Serpents are carved in relief on some of the stones and
lintels of the Cuzco palaces. Hence the palace of Huayna Ccapac is
called Amaru-cancha.[1203] At Hatun-colla, near Lake Titicaca, there
are two sandstone pillars, probably of Inca origin, which are very
richly carved. They are covered with figures of serpents, lizards,
and frogs, and with elaborate geometrical patterns. The height of the
walls of the Cuzco edifices was from 35 to 40 feet, and the roofs were
thatched. One specimen of the admirable thatching of the Incas is still
preserved at Azangaro.
[Illustration: LAKE TITICACA.
[One of the cuts which did service in the Antwerp editions of Cieza de
Leon.—ED.]]
There are many ruins throughout Peru both in the earlier and later
styles; some of them, such as those at Vilcashuaman and Huanuco el
viejo, being of great interest. The Inca palace on the island in Lake
Titicaca is a rectangular two-storied edifice, with numerous rooms
having ceilings formed of flat overlapping stones, laid with great
regularity. With its esplanade, beautiful terraced gardens, baths,
and fountains, this Titicaca palace must have been intended for the
enjoyment of beautiful scenery in comparative seclusion, like the now
destroyed palace at Yucay, in the valley of the Vilcamayu.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account