Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INCAS
Peru's greatest engineers were also its greatest empire builders. Because the Incas made
direct contact with the Spanish, they also happen to be the pre-Columbian Andean culture
that is best documented - not only through Spanish chronicle, but also through narratives
produced by descendants of the Incas themselves. (The most famous of these scribes is El
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, who lived in the 16th century.)
The Incas were a Quechua civilization descended from alpaca farmers in the southern
Andes. Over several generations, from AD 1100 until the arrival of the Spanish in 1532,
they steadfastly grew into a highly organized empire that extended over more than 37° latit-
ude from Colombia to Chile. This was an absolutist state with a strong army, where ulti-
mate power resided with the
inca,
or emperor. (The political history is fascinating. Turn to
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f
or more.)
The society was bound by a rigid caste system: there were nobles, an artisan and mer-
chant class, and peasants. The latter supplied the manpower for the Incas' many public-
works projects. Citizens were expected to pay tribute to the crown in the form of labor -
typically three months of the year - enabling the development and maintenance of monu-
ments, canals and roadways. The Incas also kept a highly efficient communications system
consisting of a body of
chasquis
(relay runners), who could make the 1600km trip between
Quito and Cuzco in just seven days. (By comparison, it takes the average traveler three to
four days to hike the Inca Trail from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu - a mere 43km!) As
brutal as the regime was (bloody wars, human sacrifice), the Incas also had a notable
social-welfare system, warehousing 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 tex-
tiles. Their fabrics were generally composed of bold, solid colors in an array of abstract,
geometric prints. But they are best known for their monumental architecture. The capital of
Cuzco (
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), along with a series of constructions at Sacsaywamán (
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),
Pisac (
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)
, Ollantaytambo (
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)
and the fabled Machu Picchu (
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), 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. The Incas kept the exteriors of their buildings austere, opting to
put the decoration on the inside, in the form of rich wall hangings made of precious metal.
