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In a Search for Inca Construction Process Logistics. Case Studies of Four Structures from the Llaqta Machu Picchu
Abstract
Against the background of general reflections on the Inca building art research, this chapter discusses four specific examples of constructions in the Machupicchu complex. Separate case studies concern the Intimachay astronomical observatory, the Mirador de Inkaraqay serving the same function, the enclosure wall separating agricultural terraces from the residential area, and the building known as the Sala de los Morteros. Particular emphasis was placed on the analysis of the technique and logistics of the construction process. Based on detailed observations of masonry threads and data from 3D laser scanning, an attempt was made to isolate individual technological construction phases and determine their mutual logistic connections. In the case of Sala de los Morteros, it made it possible to estimate the number of workers directly employed in the construction of this building and the time needed to erect it. The obtained results should be treated as an introduction to further research on the planning and logistics of constructing the Llaqta of Machupicchu as an important, complex and state-run political, administrative and religious centre.KeywordsMachu PicchuArchitectureStonemasonryConstruction process
Even today, and certainly in the past, the infrastructures built by Inca engineers appear extremely complex, even in their almost perfect geometric and harmonic articulation. The imposing structures incorporating stone blocks weighing several tons seem beyond the reach of men, whose level of technology never reached the Iron Age. Stone was undoubtedly the most widely used building material in prestigious architecture, including religious one, and in infrastructure, as well as playing a fundamental role in religiosity directly linked to the deities of the earth and the mountains. This work aims to be the first approach to a resume of the history of stone in the Inca empire, through the analysis of edited texts and original contributions of the authors, from the quarry to the fitting, through the description of practices, methods, processing techniques and labour management.KeywordsInca building techniquesArchitectureMachu PicchuQuarrying techniques
Es un objetivo principal del Plan maestro del Santua- rio Histórico de Machupicchu 2015-20192 salvaguardar y poner en valor Machupicchu como patrimonio cultural y natural y como sistema integrado de si- tios relacionados en la red territorial de una foresta de neblinas a partir de los criterios que Unesco re- conoce para el sitio de Patrimonio Mundial3. Este planteamiento ubica en primer plano la necesidad de actualizar el catastro de las áreas y clasificar las formas constructivas, las tecnologías y las tipologías de las arquitecturas actualmente registradas. Un método unitario para clasificar un sistema vasto yarticulado de soluciones constructivas permite po- ner en valor el sistema territorial en su conjunto, así como fue ideado y según los criterios originarios de lectura y planificación andina de un paisaje monu- mental y sagrado. El carácter multidimensional del área territorial de Machupicchu requiere hoy un tipo de análisis multidisciplinario y consciente de las formas andinas de concepción de espacios cere- moniales y de la cultura constructiva lítica inka.
El presente artículo presenta un breve estado de la cuestión de la Llaqta de Machupicchu desde su descubrimiento científico en julio de 1911 hasta los avances de las investigaciones ejecutadas por el Programa de Investigaciones Arqueológicas e Interdisciplinarias en el Sector Museo de Sitio “Manuel Chávez Ballón” (2014) y en la Llaqta de Machupicchu (2015). Se discuten los motivos por los cuales se construyó, la cantidad de población permanente que pudo albergar, productos cultivados, modificaciones arquitectónicas, entre otros.
This communication studies the relations between Andean geo-landscape and Inca cities by showing how the town of Machu Picchu, located at Urubamba-Vilcanota valley, has been built. Through techniques of geolandscape archaeology, structural geology and geomorphology, the matrix of the site was established in terms of a very dense geological faults and fractures web. Eight orders of network scales of lineaments and faults have been analyzed, from both satellite images and field data. Both mountains' and rock blocks' geomorphology appear driven by the erosion of mutual intersection of three main faults directions-020º, 055º, and 330º-and two secondary directions: N-S and E-W. The mutual interference between these faults networks led to typical both fractal geometry of the rock blocks and structural drainage pattern. We show that the Inca developers intentionally chose cross-tectonic faults to build their cities. Indeed, in Machu Picchu, the rocks were so fragmented that it was possible to build cities in high topographic levels, strategically safe against both geological hazards and inhospitable Andean conditions. In addition, the main sectors, buildings, and stairs were built following the three said fault directions. According to this analysis, the Machu Picchu city plan clearly shows the empirical fault and fracture map which underlies its construction.
This article is dedicated to a special category of structures that may be called “astronomical instruments”,
constructed in the Inca Empire (ca. 14-16 c. AD). As mentioned in some sources, these were intended for
use by a small group of priests-astronomers. A good example is Intimachay in Machu Picchu, which was
recently re-designated as an astronomical observatory, far more complex and precise than was previously
believed. The discovery of Inkaraqay – El Mirador, a second structure, even more complicated than Intimachay
and erected for the purpose of precise astronomical observation, confirms the importance of the
knowledge of the skies in the running of the Incan Empire.
The imperial calendar, which facilitated the coordinating of administrative, economic, and religious-
ceremonial functions, played an important role in managing the Tawantinsuyu or Inca
Empire. A means of observing celestial bodies, primarily the Sun and Moon, was necessary for
the practical operation of this empire. This article is dedicated to a special category of structures
which may be called ‘astronomical instruments’. These were intended for use by a narrow group
of priests-astronomers, mentioned in some sources. An example is the case of Intimachay in
Machu Picchu, which was indeed an astronomical observatory, as previous researchers have
suggested, but one far more complex and precise than was previously believed.
At Tiahuanaco, on the southern rim of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, visitors encounter enormous stone slabs and carved building blocks dressed with astonishing skill. The stones are the visible remains of a culture that flourished there about a thousand years ago. Some six hundred kilometers to the northwest, in Cuzco (Peru), one finds the different yet equally remarkable masonry of the Incas, who dominated the Andean world from the middle of the fifteenth century to the Spanish conquest in 1532. Did the Inca stonemasons learn their skills from their predecessors at Tiahuanaco? A comparative study of Inca and Tiahuanaco construction techniques reveals fundamental differences between the architecture of the two cultures. In this article, we compare masonry bonds, design details, stone-cutting techniques, and the methods of fitting, laying, and handling of stones used by both cultures. The results of this comparison suggest that the ingenuity of Inca masonry originated with the Incas, and not with their predecessors.
We show that a structure built by the Inkas at the entrance to a cave at Machu Picchu was designed to admit the light of the rising sun only for a brief period before and after the December solstice. This structure is precisely constructed, unique at Machu Picchu, and may have played a part in the annual Inka ritual, Capac Raymi.
Inca construction techniques have long been the subject of wild speculation. Investigations of ancient quarry sites and of numerous cut-stone walls reveal that the amazing Inca constructions were built with very simple means. Stones were selected out of rock falls or just broken out of a rock face with pry-bars. If the blocks needed to be parted, big hammerstones were used to split them. To dress the stones smaller hammerstones were used to pound them until they had the desired shape. The fitting of one stone to another was done by cutting the already laid stones to receive the next ones in a trial-and-error fashion. Experiments show that with this process stones can be mined, cut, dressed, and fit with little effort and in a short time.