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Prior to construction of any building, palace,
temple, village or city; Quechuas had a process of physical planning
tending to ensure later success. Undeniably, knowledge used was not only
a product of creative capacity of these Andean villagers, but a many
centuries accumulation of continuous cultural development. As it was
indicated before, Peruvian culture has an age from 18 to 20 thousand
years B.C. Peruvian scholar Victor Angles states: " Inkan stage is the
shortest in the development of pre-Hispanic people, it is the last
political time characterized by a quick and powerful military expansion
that crowns long earlier stages of gradual formation of nations".
Prior to executing any construction Inkas made some sketches and designs,
and models or maquettes in scales which measurement systems mainly based
in anthropometry (measures with relationship to the human body: arms,
elbows, feet, steps, spans, etc.) are lost. A demonstration of this in-advance
planning are the large amount of maquettes found in almost all the
archaeological museums in the country; they are carved in stone or made
in pottery.
Around the world, no other ancient or modern civilization could ever
reach the technique, skills and ease to carve lithic material as
Quechuas did in this corner of the earth. Inkas are recognized among
some other aspects, for their balanced social organization, their
mastered and peculiar way to work stones, their advanced knowledge in
planning and engineering, and because of their epoch and without
intervention or influence from other intercontinental cultures they
developed one of the most advanced civilizations of the planet.
There are still some doubts about the way how stones were fitted so
precisely. Those doubts are based on the lack of chronicles or detailed
ancient records about those techniques. There are some hypothesis that
are framed inside logical possibilities: the most feasible indicates
that work was very slow but effective and as it is normal walls were
started by the lower part taking care of just the lateral fits, the
following upper row was more complex because stones had to fit laterally
as well as in the lower joints. In this case it is proved practically
everywhere in Qosqo that upper faces of lower stones were carved slowly
bumping them with stone hammers according to the shape of the inferior
surface of upper stones. The work was relatively simple when
manipulating small or medium stones, because they could be placed or
tried many times; but problems arose when working with megalithic
boulders of dozens and even hundreds of tons. Reality suggests that
Quechuas could use natural size models or maquettes made on light
materials and perhaps clay. Those models were supposed to be reproduced
exactly on huge boulders; surely, use of this method helped enormously
making works easier. Another respected opinion states that they could
use in a certain way a present day technique that consists in copying
with some wires or metal tapes the shape of the desired stones (in
Qosqo's archaeological museum there is a very long silver tape), thus
they made possible a really complex work.
Many medium and large stones that are part of Inkan walls have almost
always 2 high relief carvings or moldings in the lower part of their
faces. In some cases like in Saqsaywaman those carvings are in low
relief and served for facilitating transportation, lifting, and
manipulation of stones during the building process,. Many of those
moldings were removed once the wall was finished, but because of some
unknown reason certain stones still keep them. There are some
exceptional cases like in Qosqo's Qorikancha where the inside face of
the semi-round wall known as "solar drum" shows unusual moldings
surrounding the trapezoidal niche; it is evident that they were not used
for manipulating the blocks but they had some religious duty or ideo-graphic
meaning that is lost.
Among the materials used in Inkan walls is the adobe or sun dried mud
brick. Many buildings and even whole cities in the Tawantinsuyo were
made with this material; that is the case of Pachacamaq which stands
south of Lima. In order to make "adobes" some good quality earth was
chosen preferably clayish that was mixed with ichu the native wild bunch
grass, and in certain cases with llama or alpaca wool too. All these
materials were blended with water, placed in rectangular molds and then
dried to the sun. Adobe buildings were and are still preferred in the
Andes because they are easy to get and have thermal properties; they
last forever when covered with thatched or tile roofs.
In the Inkan stone buildings there are diverse types of walls and
bondings. They are resumed in five basic ones:
- The Rustic or " Pirka" type. Made with non carved rough stones
accommodated without much care; the empty spaces in the joints were
filled up hwit small stones and abundant mud mortar. This type was used
for construction of farming terraces, storehouses, homes for common
people, etc.
- The Cellular type. It has an aspect that is similar to the structure
of a honeycomb. It was normally made with small or medium polygonal
limestones; examples of this type are found in Qolqanpata, Chinchero,
Tarawasi, etc.
- The Enchased type. Made with polygonal, medium size igneous stones.
Examples of this type are the Principal Temple in Ollantaytambo, the
Three Windows Temple in Machupicchu, Hatun Rumiyoq in Qosqo, etc.
- The Sedimentary or Imperial Inkan. Consisting basically of medium
sized stones preferably andesites of regular height in horizontal rows
that give the impression of being totally rectangular. This is the bond
that has the most perfect polished joints "where it is impossible to
slip even a shaving blade or a paper sheet". It has no mortar except a
very thin clay screen as a sealant that seems to have been placed in
liquefied or liquid state to enable moving and manipulating stones.
- The Cyclopean type. Also known as Megalithic is characterized for
containing enormous boulders that in some cases can reach 8.5 mts. (28
ft.) high; like those that are seen in Saqsaywaman or what is left from
the high altar of the Main Temple in Ollantaytambo.
Besides, there are certain classical characteristics in palace and
religious Inkan Architecture. On the wall surfaces, stone side views
(cross sections) may be "cushioned" (semi-round edges), convex, beveled
or flat. Meanwhile, their joints may be carved or polished. Normally,
Inkan walls are leaning or have some inclination inwards. There is not a
general rule or measurement for that inclination and its main duty was
to search some balance between the walls that support each other.
Commonly the lower stones are bigger or have more volume than the upper
ones. Besides, Inkan walls are frequently wider on the base than on the
superior part. Moreover, the classical shape of Inkan architecture is
the trapezoid that gives a stability and balance sensation. It is
undeniable that immortality was searched; the way how to make anti
seismic buildings, everlasting and indestructible by any natural
catastrophe. Only men, blinded by fanatical ideologies could destroy
them partially.
Constructing the roofings urged highly qualified techniques and
knowledge. They were generally made supported on wooden beams and
covered with thatch of "ichu", the local wild grass. According to the
shape of their coverings, roofs may be classified in 4: of a single
watershed or slope; of two slopes; of four slopes and conical ones. Just
imagine how impressive the roof structures of some huge buildings were,
such as that of the Wiraqocha Temple in Raqchi that had a " Kallanka"
structure of 92 X 25.25 Mts. (302 X 83 ft.) covering an area of 2,323 m²
(25004 ft²). Due to materials used and the amount of rainfalls during
the year, the roofs had a strong inclination varying from 50° to 65°.
Because the local wild grass "ichu" does not last forever the roofs had
a frequent maintenance. "Ichu" roofings must have been renewed every
three or four years as it happens nowadays.
Another impressive element were the river canals such as those of the
Watanay and the Willkamayu (Urubamba) Rivers that must have been built
orderly and in straight lines. Even today in some sectors of these
rivers it is possible to appreciate the lateral well-carved stone walls.
Bridges were built in order to cross rivers and their bases are still
identified. A fine example of bridges is the one seen today in
Qheswachaka over the Apurimac River. It is made in community work by the
people who use it and with the ancestral Andean technique. All the
previous are some samples of native engineering and technology, that
time, forgetfulness and the lack of identity darkened and are still
darkening.
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