Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
typically three months out of the year - enabling them to develop and maintain an extens-
ive network of roadways and canals. The Incas also kept a highly efficient communica-
tions system: a body of
chasquis
(relay runners), who could make the 1600km trip
between Quito and Cuzco in just seven days. Also notable was their social-welfare sys-
tem. The Incas warehoused surplus food for distribution to areas and people in need.
On the cultural front, the Incas had a strong tradition of music, oral literature and weav-
ing. But they are best known for their monumental architecture. The Inca capital of
Cuzco, along with the constructions at Sacsaywamán, Pisac, Ollantaytambo and the fabled
Machu Picchu, are all incredible examples of the imperial style of building. Carved pieces
of rock, without mortar, are fitted together so tightly that it is impossible to fit a knife
between the stones. Most interestingly, walls are built at an angle and windows in a
trapezoidal form, so as to resist seismic activity.
Nestled into spectacular natural locales, these structures, even in a ruined state, are un-
forgettable. Their majesty was something the Spanish acknowledged, even as they pried
them apart. 'Now that the Inca rulers have lost their power,' wrote Spanish chronicler
Pedro Cieza de León in the 16th century, 'all these palaces and gardens, together with
their other great works, have fallen, so that only the remains survive. Since they were built
of good stone and the masonry is excellent, they will stand as memorials for centuries to
come.'
León was right. The Inca civilization did not survive the Spanish, but their architecture
did - a reminder of the many grand societies we are just beginning to understand.
