Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nestled into spectacular natural locales,
these structures, even in their ruined state, are
an unforgettable sight. Their great majesty was
something the Spanish acknowledged, even as
they prised them apart to build their own
monuments. '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 re-
mains 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
pachacuti,
but its architecture did - a reminder of the many grand so-
cieties we are just beginning to understand.
At its acme, the Inca empire was larger than imperi-
al Rome and boasted 40,000km of roadways. A net-
work of
chasquis
(runners) kept the kingdom con-
nected, relaying fresh-caught fish from the coast to
Cuzco in 24 hours.
