The Incas adopted Cusco as its sacred capital in AD 1438, giving it the name Qosqo, meaning 'bellybutton ' or 'navel of the world'. Its rise in renown as an important centre coincided with the emperor Pachacuti coming to power, at a point in time when the Incas were really making themselves known all though South America.
Although the Incas were around for over 300 years, the mark they made on the history books was only actually in the last 100 years of these. Prior to the Inca Empire, it was significantly different cultures that dominated society "the Moche, Nazca and Tiahuanuc. Each culture was characterised by their architecture, ceramics, jewellery or textiles, which are marked with their particular symbols and patterns. These cultures coexisted at the same time for hundreds of years, generally peacefully, but later the Tiahuanuco culture became particularly dominant all though the majority of Peru. Diverse tribes developed inside these cultures and internal war faring shortly caused the Tiahuanuco culture to slowly disappear. It got replaced by a number of tiny empires along the coast, the most prominent being the Chimu who constructed the Chan Chan complicated near Trujillo. Inland, 3 clans developed, including the Incas who, under the rule of Manco Capac established themselves at Cusco around AD1200. It took the Incas over 200 years to develop from a big tribal unit into an Empire.
Once established, the Inca Empire speedily became the largest and most powerful ever experienced in South America. The name Inca originally applied only to the Emperor, but nowadays refers back to the whole country of some 20 million Indians. At their peak, the Incas ruled over territory stretching 5500km from southern Colombia to the Maule Stream in central Chile, and eastwards as far as the fringes of the Amazon Basin.
Many aspects of the organisation and structure of Inca society were inherited from prior cultures. Utilising the existing cultures and clans, utilizing buildings and towns, the Incans developed on what was already there. That's not to say the Inca's relied totally on what had been before them and they set about making huge fortresses, urban and agricultural centers and temples.
The Incas have become well known for their impressive design. They came up with a system of carving massive, multi-angled stone blocks with remarkable precision. The stone used was frequently terribly hard igneous rock, like granite, which is particularly difficult to cut. Though these blocks are all irregularly formed, they interlock perfectly. The walls were built to resist the considerable seismic activity common in the Andes.
Rambling around the city centre we caught glimpses of this famous Inca inheritance "cobbled streets coated with the remains of the wonderful Inca design. In many cases more modern buildings had been assembled right on top, and next to the Incan stonewalls.
When the Spanish arrived in Peru in 1526, under the command of Francisco Pizzaro, it heralded the demise of the Incan Empire. Impressed by the extensive mineral deposits of the Inca Empire, Pizzaro sailed back to Spain to sign up a division of fortune hunters. The Inca were warriors, with a robust and potent military but they were no match for the 160 Spanish guns Pizzaro had enrolled and they quickly crushed a 40,000 robust Inca force.
In 1532, the Inca leader, Atahualpa was ambushed and held for ransom, but even 20 tons of gold and silver did not buy the release of the caught Inca leader. In 1533 Atahualpa was 'tried ' and executed. By 1535, the Inca society was totally overthrown. In the same year Pizzaro set up the town of Lima, which quickly replaced Cusco as the major commercial centre for the Andean nations. The new Inca ruler Manco Inca managed to flee from Cusco with a division of 50,000 and held out till 1572 when the resistance finished with his capture and beheading after a failed rebellion.
In the act of defeating the Incas, the Spanish managed to dismantle the majority of the Incan temples, fortresses and fine buildings. The arrival of their own architectural concepts concerned knocking down structures and utilizing the stones for their new buildings, frequently just placing their new buildings on top of existing foundations.
This is no more apparent than at the church of Santo Domingo. Often referred to as Coricancha, it is a fine example of the Spanish culture imposing on Incan history. The church comprises of a wonderful yard, in the center of which is an. Octagonal grey-stone coffer. Known as the Cusco Vehicle Urumi (the Uncovered Naval Stone), it apparently represented the centre of a field planted by the Incans with corn fashioned out of pure gold. The stone was very symbolic and had been surrounded by numerous Incan temples. The Spanish proceeded to build the church around it, pillaging the 55kg of gold that once covered the stone. The Inca site was forgotten till a tremor in 1951 that demolished the church, exposing the earthquake resistant Inca block foundations underneath it.
Although the Incas were around for over 300 years, the mark they made on the history books was only actually in the last 100 years of these. Prior to the Inca Empire, it was significantly different cultures that dominated society "the Moche, Nazca and Tiahuanuc. Each culture was characterised by their architecture, ceramics, jewellery or textiles, which are marked with their particular symbols and patterns. These cultures coexisted at the same time for hundreds of years, generally peacefully, but later the Tiahuanuco culture became particularly dominant all though the majority of Peru. Diverse tribes developed inside these cultures and internal war faring shortly caused the Tiahuanuco culture to slowly disappear. It got replaced by a number of tiny empires along the coast, the most prominent being the Chimu who constructed the Chan Chan complicated near Trujillo. Inland, 3 clans developed, including the Incas who, under the rule of Manco Capac established themselves at Cusco around AD1200. It took the Incas over 200 years to develop from a big tribal unit into an Empire.
Once established, the Inca Empire speedily became the largest and most powerful ever experienced in South America. The name Inca originally applied only to the Emperor, but nowadays refers back to the whole country of some 20 million Indians. At their peak, the Incas ruled over territory stretching 5500km from southern Colombia to the Maule Stream in central Chile, and eastwards as far as the fringes of the Amazon Basin.
Many aspects of the organisation and structure of Inca society were inherited from prior cultures. Utilising the existing cultures and clans, utilizing buildings and towns, the Incans developed on what was already there. That's not to say the Inca's relied totally on what had been before them and they set about making huge fortresses, urban and agricultural centers and temples.
The Incas have become well known for their impressive design. They came up with a system of carving massive, multi-angled stone blocks with remarkable precision. The stone used was frequently terribly hard igneous rock, like granite, which is particularly difficult to cut. Though these blocks are all irregularly formed, they interlock perfectly. The walls were built to resist the considerable seismic activity common in the Andes.
Rambling around the city centre we caught glimpses of this famous Inca inheritance "cobbled streets coated with the remains of the wonderful Inca design. In many cases more modern buildings had been assembled right on top, and next to the Incan stonewalls.
When the Spanish arrived in Peru in 1526, under the command of Francisco Pizzaro, it heralded the demise of the Incan Empire. Impressed by the extensive mineral deposits of the Inca Empire, Pizzaro sailed back to Spain to sign up a division of fortune hunters. The Inca were warriors, with a robust and potent military but they were no match for the 160 Spanish guns Pizzaro had enrolled and they quickly crushed a 40,000 robust Inca force.
In 1532, the Inca leader, Atahualpa was ambushed and held for ransom, but even 20 tons of gold and silver did not buy the release of the caught Inca leader. In 1533 Atahualpa was 'tried ' and executed. By 1535, the Inca society was totally overthrown. In the same year Pizzaro set up the town of Lima, which quickly replaced Cusco as the major commercial centre for the Andean nations. The new Inca ruler Manco Inca managed to flee from Cusco with a division of 50,000 and held out till 1572 when the resistance finished with his capture and beheading after a failed rebellion.
In the act of defeating the Incas, the Spanish managed to dismantle the majority of the Incan temples, fortresses and fine buildings. The arrival of their own architectural concepts concerned knocking down structures and utilizing the stones for their new buildings, frequently just placing their new buildings on top of existing foundations.
This is no more apparent than at the church of Santo Domingo. Often referred to as Coricancha, it is a fine example of the Spanish culture imposing on Incan history. The church comprises of a wonderful yard, in the center of which is an. Octagonal grey-stone coffer. Known as the Cusco Vehicle Urumi (the Uncovered Naval Stone), it apparently represented the centre of a field planted by the Incans with corn fashioned out of pure gold. The stone was very symbolic and had been surrounded by numerous Incan temples. The Spanish proceeded to build the church around it, pillaging the 55kg of gold that once covered the stone. The Inca site was forgotten till a tremor in 1951 that demolished the church, exposing the earthquake resistant Inca block foundations underneath it.
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