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High in the Andes, 1600 feet above the
Urubamba River (one of the sources of the Amazon River) Machu Picchu
rises from a mountain ridge. Abandoned by the Inca centuries ago,
Machu Picchu remained hidden and protected, until it was discovered in
1911; consequently, it has been preserved close to its original
condition, allowing scholars to come and study Inca architecture,
planing and belief systems.
Emerging as an Imperial power in the 15th century, the Inca forged an Empire by conquest, extending all the way from Ecuador to Chile, well over 3000 miles. Throughout this vast territory, the Inca built in a consistent style, which allowed everyone seeing their buildings to know immediately that they were in Inca territory, under the power and control of the Inca state. Machu Picchu is built in this imperial style.
Inca Imperial style is formal, restrained and practical, with little extraneous decoration. The Inca are most famous for their stone
work, which appears at Machu Picchu. Stones are carefully dressed--each is cut and shaped with beveled edges. Stones are laid in irregularly shapes, but fitted together so closely and carefully (many walls are built without mortar), that is is still impossible to slip a pin between the cracks today. Throughout the empire, the Inca form their doors and windows in a trapezoidal shape, using the trapezoid as an emblem of their architectural style, again reminding everyone seeing these buildings that the Inca made them and that the buildings are in Inca land. To the right, there is a view into one of Mchu Picchu's buildings in the Royal Sector, showing trapezoidal windows and doors.
The location of
Machu Picchu is high (8000 feet above sea level) and
mountainous, and also stunningly beautiful. It is, without doubt, one
of the most beautiful places on earth. However, experts are still
debating the purpose of this settlement. Why was it built, and
why was it built here? The latest theory suggests that Machu Picchu was
a winter retreat for the Inca ruler, who came with his court to avoid
the chill of winters in Cuzco, the Inca capital. And, this is probably
true. The location, however, at the edge of the civilized Inca world,
very close to the Amazon, must also have served as a way to mark Inca
territory, to remind everyone on the outskirts of the empire that the
Inca did, in deed, own this land. It established a presence and,
regardless of its use as a retreat, also served as propaganda,
reminding others of Inca power and presence.
I have been to Machu Picchu twice, and plan to go back again. Somehow here it is easier to know the Inca, and to understand how they came to believe in their mountain gods.
Emerging as an Imperial power in the 15th century, the Inca forged an Empire by conquest, extending all the way from Ecuador to Chile, well over 3000 miles. Throughout this vast territory, the Inca built in a consistent style, which allowed everyone seeing their buildings to know immediately that they were in Inca territory, under the power and control of the Inca state. Machu Picchu is built in this imperial style.
Inca Imperial style is formal, restrained and practical, with little extraneous decoration. The Inca are most famous for their stone
work, which appears at Machu Picchu. Stones are carefully dressed--each is cut and shaped with beveled edges. Stones are laid in irregularly shapes, but fitted together so closely and carefully (many walls are built without mortar), that is is still impossible to slip a pin between the cracks today. Throughout the empire, the Inca form their doors and windows in a trapezoidal shape, using the trapezoid as an emblem of their architectural style, again reminding everyone seeing these buildings that the Inca made them and that the buildings are in Inca land. To the right, there is a view into one of Mchu Picchu's buildings in the Royal Sector, showing trapezoidal windows and doors.
The location of
Machu Picchu is high (8000 feet above sea level) and
mountainous, and also stunningly beautiful. It is, without doubt, one
of the most beautiful places on earth. However, experts are still
debating the purpose of this settlement. Why was it built, and
why was it built here? The latest theory suggests that Machu Picchu was
a winter retreat for the Inca ruler, who came with his court to avoid
the chill of winters in Cuzco, the Inca capital. And, this is probably
true. The location, however, at the edge of the civilized Inca world,
very close to the Amazon, must also have served as a way to mark Inca
territory, to remind everyone on the outskirts of the empire that the
Inca did, in deed, own this land. It established a presence and,
regardless of its use as a retreat, also served as propaganda,
reminding others of Inca power and presence. I have been to Machu Picchu twice, and plan to go back again. Somehow here it is easier to know the Inca, and to understand how they came to believe in their mountain gods.