INTRODUCTION

The Inca civilization flourished in ancient Peru.

TIME PERIOD- 14-15th century.

It was the largest empire ever seen in the Americas

and the largest
in the world at that time.

The Inca were warriors with a strong and

powerful army. Because
of the fierceness of their army and their hierarchical
organization,
they became the largest Native American
society.
 Inca Art
Most of the Inca art was melted down by the
Spanish to satisfy their lust for gold and silver.
Much about the Inca and their culture is
surrounded in mystery and their art is no different.

Inca Architecture
The Inca were masterful architects and stone
masons.
Inca Architecture has withstood centuries of
abuse and has come out largely intact.

Inca Culture
When it comes to the Inca it can get a little difficult
to separate fact from speculation but the
indisputable truth is that Inca culture had a
 Inca Religion
The Incas did leave an oral record of their beliefs
that has been passed down from generation to
generation through the centuries.

Inca Gods
The Inca were polytheists, the sun was the most
important aspect of life and there was a clear
tendency to worship the stars and the moon.

Inca Artifacts
The Inca people were skilled craftsmen, they
made jewelry, masks, pottery, tapestries, musical
instruments, baskets, and other crafts.
- This artifacts have been found by archaeologists
and tell us many things that we know about the
Incas way of life.
DETERMINANTS OF URBAN DESIGN
INCA CIVILIZATION
 The three main
geographic regions of
LANDFO the Inca Empire are:
RM The coastal desert
plain
The Inca Andes and
FFECT OF LANDFORM
The Amazon jungle

SOCIO CULTURAL FACTORS

Military
Political
Structure
ACTIVITY PATTERN Social
AgricultureOrganization
Inca Art
Astronomy and
Science
 LANDFORM
The three main geographic regions of the Inca Empire are:
The coastal desert plain
The Inca Andes and
The Amazon jungle

The Incas divided their empire, known as Tawantinsuyu

(Land of four Quarters) into four administrative regions.
Geographically, however, the realm encompassed three
distinct zones, with each band stretching from north to
south across the Inca Empire.
Differences in climate, terrain and available resources gave
each of these geographic zones its own unique
characteristics, both socially and in terms of political
significance.

It stretched north to south some 2,500 miles along the high

mountainous Andean range from Colombia to Chile and
reached west to east from the dry coastal desert called
Atacama to the steamy Amazonian rain forest.
 LANDFORM
The three main geographic regions of the Inca Empire are:
The coastal desert plain
The Inca Andes and
The Amazon jungle

The Incas divided their empire, known as Tawantinsuyu, into

four administrative regions.
Geographically, however, the realm encompassed three distinct
zones, with each band stretching from north to south across
the Inca Empire.
Differences in climate, terrain and available resources gave
each of these geographic zones its own unique characteristics,
both socially and in terms of political significance.
The Incans gave their empire the name, 'Land of the Four
Quarters' or the Tahuantinsuyu Empire.
It stretched north to south some 2,500 miles along the high
mountainous Andean range from Colombia to Chile and
reached west to east from the dry coastal desert called
Atacama to the steamy Amazonian rain forest.
 CITY OF
FOUR
QUARTERS
 GEOGRAPHY OF THE INCAS: ANDES
MOUNTAINS

The Andean range was the geographic

backbone of the Inca Empire.

Stretching from North To South across the

length of Tawantinsuyu, the highlands and
foothills of the Andes were the heartlands of
the empire, both spiritually and
geographically.

The Incas worshipped mountain peaks as

gods, while the vast altiplano (high plateau)
was home to Lake Titicaca, the legendary
birthplace of the Inca civilization.
 GEOGRAPHY OF THE INCAS: ANDES
MOUNTAINS
The range formed a distinct barrier between
the vast jungle region to the east and the arid
coastal plains to the west. The mountains and
gorges of the highlands hindered travel in the
region, but at the same time offered a strong
defensive platform to the Incas.

Rope bridges served as vital links along the

highland road system, and were closely
monitored and maintained (and severed or
burned in the event of attack).

Life was hard in the high altitudes and cold

climate of the region.
 INCA COASTAL DESERT PLAINS

Lodged between the mountains and the

Pacific Ocean, the arid desert plain
dominated the entire western flank of
the Inca Empire.

Rivers created infrequent strips of

fertile land as they cut across the
lowlands from the highlands and the
Incas built dams and irrigation systems
in order to maximize available water
for farming purposes.
 INCA COASTAL DESERT PLAINS

The Incas were not a seafaring civilization, but the

sea did at least provide food and materials for the
inhabitants of the coastal plain.

- Anglers took to the sea in small boats, using nets and

hooked lines to catch fish and other marine animals.
- The coastal Incas used fish bone for decorative and
practical purposes.

The traditional llama wool of the highlands was not

suitable for the hot desert regions.

Lighter Inca cloths were commonplace, and the cotton

growing regions along the more fertile lowland
valleys provided much of the necessary materials.
 INCA GEOGRAPHY: JUNGLE REGIONS

The vast expanse of the Amazon jungle lay to

the east of the Andean range. The Incas did
not penetrate far into this inhospitable land;
it was, for them, a savage land populated by
equally savage people.

The Inca realm became undefined and

fragmented as it pushed east into the jungle,
and major Inca settlements were limited to
the upland cloud forest and the tropical
foothills of the eastern slopes of the Andean
cordillera.
 INCA GEOGRAPHY: JUNGLE REGIONS

The vast expanse of the Amazon jungle lay to the east of the
Andean range. The Incas did not penetrate far into this
inhospitable land; it was, for them, a savage land populated
by equally savage people.
The Inca realm became undefined and fragmented as it
pushed east into the jungle, and major Inca settlements
were limited to the upland cloud forest and the tropical
foothills of the eastern slopes of the Andean cordillera.
The tropical forests east of the Andes were the source of a
number of important products. These included hardwoods
(used for Inca weapons), coca, feathers, wax and honey.
The jungle was also an important source of medicinal herbs
and hallucinogens (used in religious ceremonies and rites of
passage).
However, The Incas never succeeded in completely
dominating this important resource zone. Warriors, traders
and explorers ventured east into the dense lowland jungle,
but due to the problematic geography, Inca occupation of
the region was not a priority.
 Inca Geography: Jungle Regions

The vast expanse of the Amazon jungle lay to the east of the
Andean range. The Incas did not penetrate far into this
inhospitable land; it was, for them, a savage land populated
by equally savage people.
The Inca realm became undefined and fragmented as it
pushed east into the jungle, and major Inca settlements
were limited to the upland cloud forest and the tropical
foothills of the eastern slopes of the Andean cordillera.
The tropical forests east of the Andes were the source of a
number of important products. These included hardwoods
(used for Inca weapons), coca, feathers, wax and honey.
The jungle was also an important source of medicinal herbs
and hallucinogens (used in religious ceremonies and rites of
passage).
However, The Incas never succeeded in completely
dominating this important resource zone. Warriors, traders
and explorers ventured east into the dense lowland jungle,
but due to the problematic geography, Inca occupation of
the region was not a priority.
 EFFECT OF LANDFORM
AGRICULTURAL
TERRACES
At an elementary level,
terraces are a manifestation
of the Andean peoples
struggle for survival in a
rugged terrain and a hostile
environment.
The Inca terracing had taken
on proportions which far
exceed those necessary for
survival.
Extensive sets of terraces,
beautifully designed and
expertly crafted, stretch along
river banks, climb the foot of
hills at the edges of the valley
floors, or cover entire
hillsides.
They built roads through
the mountains from Ecuador
to Chile with tunnels and
bridges. They also built
aqueducts to their cities as
the Romans had.
They have built an
INCA ROADofSYSTEM
amazing system roads -
over 14,000 miles - some of
them still in use.
Roads were paved with flat
stones, with stone walls to
prevent travelers to fell off
cliffs.
They built an admirable
network of roads welded in
the kaleidoscopic strip of
coastal desert, valley oasis,
 ROADS CUTTING
THROGH THE
MOUNTAINEOUS
TERRAIN AND
ENVELOPING THE
MOUNTAIN RANGES

ARCHITECTURAL
TERRACES
IN THE RUGGED
MOUNTAINEOUS
TERRAIN
 SOCIO CULTURAL FACTORS
The Incas were a distinct people with a distinct language living
in a highland center, Cuzco. They were an ancient people, but
had been subject to the regional powers during the entire
history of South American urban cultures.
The Inca were warriors with a strong and powerful army.
Because of the fierceness of their army and their hierarchical
organization, they became the largest Native American society.
The term 'Incas' (or Incas) is often used to refer to the people
of the empire as a whole, whereas strictly it refers to the
ruling aristocracy.
The position of Inca, the supreme ruler of the empire, was a
more or less hereditary position, although strict precedence
was often waived in favor of superior political or military
ability.

The Incas had a very clear social structure.

The ruler, the Sapa Inca, and his wives, the Coyas, had
supreme control over the empire.
The High Priest and the Army Commander in Chief were
next.
 Military
Then came the Four Apus, the regional army commanders.
Next came temple priests, architects, administrators and
army generals.
Merchants and Middle Class
Next were artisans, musicians, army captains and the, the
Incan "accountants."
At the bottom were sorcerers, farmers, herding families and
conscripts.
 POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Their domains were spread by the split inheritance model which lead to
vast increases in empire over the reigns of the three main rulers.
At its peak the empire included at least 80 administrative units.
These were often ethnically distinct from the Inca and allowed and
encouraged to maintain their distinctions.
When regions were conquered, peoples were often resettled to new
locations an allotted new lands to develop and farm.
Groups were encouraged to maintain their ethnicity in their new lands.
This acted to cut people off from traditional sources of wealth and
forced communities to conform to the new Inca political order.
The Incas had a highly organized government based in Cuzco. The
emperor lived there and was regarded to as The Inca, the main supreme
the ruler. Underneath him were the nobles., They were talented and
gifted and their skills provided for all of the Inca civilization.
Cuzco, which emerged as the richest city in the New World, was the
center of Inca life, the home of its leaders. The riches that were
gathered in the city of Cuzco alone.

SOCIAL ORGANISATION
The basic local unit of society was the ayllu which formed a nucleus of
kinship groups who possessed collectively a specific, although often
disconnected, territory.
 In the ayllu, grazing land was held in common (private property
did not exist), whereas arable land was parceled out to families
in proportion to their size.
Ayllus often formed parts of larger dual organizations with
upper and lower divisions called moieties, and then still larger
units, until they comprised the entire ethnic group.
In this sense, the Incas established a system of indirect rule that
enabled the incorporated ethnic groups to maintain their
distinctiveness and self-awareness within a larger imperial
system.
All Inca people collectively worked the lands of the Inca, who
served as representative of the God of the Sun--the central god
and religion of the empire.
They regularly performed mita, or service for public works, such
as roads and buildings, or for military purposes that enabled the
development of the state.
The Inca people also maintained the royal family
and bureaucracy, centered in Cusco. In return for
these services, the Inca allocated land and
redistributed part of the tribute received
such as food, cloth, and clothes--to the
communities, often in the form of welfare.
INCA RELEGION

The Incas were a polytheistic people that believed in a

variety of gods. Most of these gods were attached to natural
objects such as the sun, the moon, and the earth.
The highest point in an Inca village was reserved for religious
purposes. This point was the closest to the sun, which
represented their major god, Inti, the Sun God. The six major
gods of the Inca represent the moon, sun, earth,
thunder/lightning and the sea. Pachamama is the earth god,
who is the mother of all humans.
The Sun Temple, located in Machu Picchu, Peru, was a
religious calendar that marked the winter and summer
solstices.
At the highest point are finely constructed buildings, altars,
sculptures and the Intiwatana--the sun stone. This was the
center of the priestly activities and involved rituals at the
winter solstice that "brought back" the sun.
Inti Raymi, the feast of the sun The "Inti Raymi" or "Sun
Festivity" was the biggest, most important, spectacular and
magnificent festivity carried out in Inca times. It was aimed to
worship the "Apu Inti" (Sun God).
Ceque system, a system of shrines and ritual pathways
radiating out from the capital city of Cusco.
 ACTIVITY PATTERN
o AGRICULTURE
Inca civilization was primarily agricultural. They had many
species of cultivated plants and enveloped many superior
varieties. The civilization had well established and
elaborate irrigation and drainage systems.
The Inca lived in mountainous terrain, which is not good for
farming. To resolve this problem, terraces were cut into
steep slopes, known as andenes, in order to plant crops.
When necessary in the steep Andean terrain, the Inca built
terraces with a gravel base and stepped retaining walls, to
drain excess water and allow water flow from the terrace
tread to the next terrace down slope.
o MILITARY
The Inca system of roads allowed for very quick movement
by the Inca army. Shelters called tambos were built one
day's distance in travelling from each other, so that an
army on campaign could always be fed and rested when
tired.
The roads also allowed runners to carry messages long
o INCA ART
Overall, art was quite Spartan. The Inca preferred simple functionality
over ornate decoration in all cases except for their textiles .
Rather than create aesthetic paintings, the Inca preferred to sculpt
religious figurines and create architectural wonders that inspire
speculation and awe to this day.
In the world of Inca art where plain and simple are the norm, the
tapestries stood out as crown jewels. These tapestries where
generally made from alpaca and were intricately woven by hand.
Of course, the tapestries weren't purely ornamental. During the reign
of the Inca Empire tapestries were used as consideration to bind
political contracts and as a result, tapestries displayed political power.
o ASTRONOMY AND SCIENCE
Inca art and architecture is connected with astronomy, by which the
Native Americans determined appropriate times for planting and
harvesting their crops. They had a deep knowledge of natural sciences
and mathematics, and had well-worked out calendars, sun-dials and
other means of computing time.
Despite the uncertainties, further research has made it clear that at
least at Cuzco, the capital city of the Inca, there was an official
calendar of the sidereal-lunar type, based on the sidereal month of 27
1/3 days.
 Apart from the spiritual navel of the empire, Coricancha was
an observatory of solstices, eclipses and equinoxes.
The biggest, most spectacular festivity carried out in Inca
times wasInti Raymi(Sun festivity), to worship Apu Inti.
It was held atCuzco's main plaza every year on June 21st.,
the winter solstice of the Southern Hemisphere.
MARKETS
A widespread trade network facilitated by open markets.
 MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
MATERIAL
Inca buildings were made out of fieldstones or semi-worked stone blocks
set in mortar; adobe walls were also quite common, usually laid over
stone foundations.
They built with locally available rock, from limestone to granite.
The Inca building methods completely lacked mortar. There was nothing
to hold the stones in place. Instead, the Inca cut their stones to such
precise dimensions that they fit together perfectly.
Inca architecture is widely known for its fine masonry, which features
precisely cut and shaped stones closely fitted without mortar.
CLASSIFICATION
Encased coursed masonry: in which features stone blocks are not aligned
Sedimentary coursed masonry: in which stones are laid out in horizontal
rows
Cellular polygonal masonry: with small blocks
Cyclopean polygonal masonry: with very large stones
Roofs were thatched, over a framework of rafters and purlins running
from a ridge pole at the apex, down to the stone eaves walls (or support
beam in the case of masmas). Thatched roofs are common in Andean
peasant dwellings today, and the chroniclers of the conquest left no doubt
that thatch was employed by the Incas on even their finest constructions.
 CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
Incas knew the technique of splitting rock using wooden wedges placed
in cracks, then soaked in water, until the expanding wood split the
rock-- a method developed independently by many ancient societies.
To cut the hard rocks the Inca used stone, bronze or copper tools,
usually splitting the stones along the natural fracture lines. Without the
wheel the stones were rolled up wood beams on earth ramps.
The walls of Incan buildings were slightly inclined inside and the
corners were rounded. This, in combination with masonry
thoroughness, led Incan buildings to have a peerless seismic resistance
thanks to high static and dynamic steadiness.
Inca doorways, windows, and wall niches are trapezoidal. Some were
simple, but elegant, trapezoidal openings.
Considering the topography in which they built their cities, it would be
astounding if the Incas were not master stairway builders. Wide stairs
marked the main "streets" linking the various levels of their mountain
towns, sometimes in long continuous flights made of elongate stones
laid flat to form each step. In other instances each step consisted of a
series of small stones, shaped and set in a row.
The Inca were masterful architects and stone masons. Inca Architecture
has withstood centuries of abuse and has come out largely intact. It's
clear the architecture was one of the greatest art forms of the Inca
Empire.
 INCA URBAN DESIGN
Urban development in the Inca occurred in two ways:
one was the ceremonial centre, a complex of structures primarily
consisting of religious and administrative buildings constructed
around plazas, but without common houses or streets. Only the
secular and religious rulers and their courts lived in these centers,
while the majority of the population resided on small farms in a
surrounding suburban zone.
the other type, akin to true cities, had streets segregating the
residences of rich and poor, as well as plaza-oriented temples and
administrative buildings.
Cities were built with precise, unmatched stonework, constructed over
many levels of mountain terrain.
The Incas built enormous administrative or religious centers or rebuilt
and added to older ones. But contrary to the usual practice they were
influenced by the geographic location, available building materials and
customs of the coastal region adopting typical local characteristics and
only combining them with Inca urban planning and architecture.
The Incas directed their focus in the coastal region more on improving
and extensively expanding the existing road network connecting all
important local administrative and religious centers, uniting the valleys
of the rivers Lurin, Rimac and Chillon as well as linking this part of the
great empire with the north, south and east.
 They built great monuments or remodeled existing ones in
conquered regions putting their mark on the area and showing
their influence and power.
They built remarkable new pyramids and temples, among them the
Temple del Sol (the Temple of the Sun) next to a temple dedicated
to his "brother" Pachacamac, the Acllahuasi (The House of the
Chosen Women), also known as "Mamacona", the Plaza of Pilgrims
and a palace for the local Inca ruler named Taurichumbi Palace.
The Inca built their cities with locally available materials, usually
including limestone or granite.
Not many people lived in the Incan cities. People lived in the
nearby villages and traveled into town for festivals or business.
The city was mainly used for the government. All the records for
nearby villages were reported by their leaders and recorded in the
city by the quipucamayoc. About the only people who lived in the
city were the metalworkers, carpenters, weavers and other
crafters who made artwork for the temples. These people lived in
the artisans' quarters. Outside of the cities were the government
storehouses and soldiers' barracks.
In every major Inca city, the Sapa Inca had a palace for use when
he visited the city. On those grounds were the convents for the
Sun Virgins and houses for servants. The buildings on the grounds
were single storied edifices, built of stone with a thatched grass
roof. Their only entrance was to the courtyard that they were on.
 Construction techniques used by the Inca included fired
adobe mud bricks, roughly shaped stones interspersed with
mud mortar, and large, finely shaped stones coated with
mud and clay finishing.
The shaped stone architecture (sometimes called 'pillow-
faced') is among the finest in the world, with large stones
sanded into tight jigsaw like patterns. Pillow-faced
architecture was reserved for temples, administrative
structures and royal residences like Machu Picchu.
Many Inca military installations and other public architecture
were constructed throughout the empire, at sites such as
Farfn (Peru), Qara Qara and Yampara (Bolivia), and Catarpe
and Turi (Chile).
The Inca Road was built connecting the empire, and included
some 8500 kilometers of major thoroughfare crossing fifteen
distinct ecosystems. 30,000 kilometers of subsidiary trails
branch off the main road, including the Inca Trail, which is
the part that leads from Cusco to Machu Picchu.
Royal palaces and residences were built in Machu Picchu,
Coricancha in Cusco .
 SYMBOLISM

Chakana - The Inca Cross

A Chakana is an Andean symbol of the Incan civilization. Derived from the Quechua
(traditional language of the Incas) word "chakay," meaning "to cross" or "to bridge," a
chakana is a 3-stepped symmetric "cross" with a hole in the center of it.
THE 3 STEPS REPRESENT the 3 tiers or worlds that the Incan culture
believed in, with the centered hole representing the Incan capital of
Cusco.
This included the upper, middle and lower worlds.
The upper world (Hanan Pacha) included the stars, celestial beings
and gods.
The middle world (Kay Pacha) represented the world of human life,
and
the lower world (Uqhu Pacha) represented the underworld and death.
These tiers/ worlds were also represented by their revered animals:
the condor, puma, snake. The condor represented the upper world in
the sky; the puma, a powerful land animal represented the middle
world; the snake, living underground, represented the lower world
Chakana Cross
Some speculate that the 12 corners of the cross represented the 12
month cycle, with the 4 major arms of the cross representing the
points of a compass.

The chakana is also a representation of the Southern Cross

constellation, which was one of the most important constellations in
the Incan system.

This constellation held great significance as it is comprised of four

main stars, each corresponding to the cardinal points of the compass.

The Southern Cross, also known as "Crux," is one of the most

distinct constellations viewed from the Southern Hemisphere.
The chakana symbol is found throughout the Andeans and can be
seen in talisman or standalone design object form.

It can also be seen in the architectural designs on many buildings,

temples and ancient monuments, such as at the temple of the condor
in Machu Picchu.
URBAN DESIGN FEATURES
AGRICULTURAL
ROADS
ARCHITECTURE
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IRRIGATION FORTESSES
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