Central highlands, Peru. Inka. c. 1450-1540 C.E. Granite (architectural complex)
The site contains housing for elites, retainers, and maintenance staff, religious shrines, fountains, and terraces, as well as carved rock outcrops, a signature element of Inka art.
Fully Identify:
Machu Picchu
Built by the Inca People
c. 1450–1540 CE
Individual stones (mostly granite) ➝ shaped to fit together
Andes Mountains, Peru
Form:
Ruins of an Inca city
Located near the Inca capital (Cusco)
Composed of houses & terraces built by fitting individually carved stones together
Terraces essentially = steps built into the side of the mountain
Slow process of erosion
Provide land for agriculture
16 stone channels drain water out of structure or into fountains
One fountain may have acted as a ritual bath for the emperor
Walls resemble mosaics
Wood & thatch used for roofing
Entrances, windows, & niches are trapezoidal
Observatory
Made up of a stone enclosure with windows above a cave structure
Context:
Originally used as a palace for Inca emperors- Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui- mid 15th century
Overlooks the Urubamba river (near modern day Peru)
near Inca capital of Cusco, and nearly 3,000 feet lower in elevation
In a fertile climate
Chosen because of its proximity to Adean landscape- sight lines to other mountains “apus”
These mountains symbolize the spirits of ancestors
Emperor would only live there for part of the year in a “separate compound southwest of the sight”- shows his “stand alone” royal status
Pachacuti believed he was the descendent of the sun or the sun himself- why this work was known as the “temple of the sun”
People viewed the sun as divine- emperor had divine rights
Cross cultural connection with other European emperors (i.e. Louis XIV)
Yanaconas and Mitimaes lived there also (year round)
Yanacona- “retainer” or person who commanded others to come and work for the Incan empire
Most worked as metalsmiths on the side
Mitimaes- the colonists that the yanaconas commanded to come and work at Machu Picchu.
Hiram Bingham III (1875-1956) discovered Machu Picchu and proceeded to excavate it
His team at Yale (Peabody Museum) agreed that after excavation they would return the artifacts to Peru (Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Peru on November 23 2010, a second Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Cuzco (UNSAAC) on February 11, 2011)
Content:
Main building construction = typical Inca elite architecture
Stones shaped to fit one another, not to look uniform
Each stone had a protruding side & a concave side that locked them with other stones but allowed for movement during earthquakes
Outward faces were always smooth
Buildings & layout highlight social divisions
Structures for people of lower class were made more crudely & not in the typical Inca elite style
Most high status buildings are together in the northeast
Emperor lived to the southwest, further symbolizing his status as ruler
The observatory is next to his residence, drawing connections between status, royal authority, ritual, and astronomy
Pachacuti was claimed as a descendent of the sun (Inti), a position that contributed to his right to rule
Was responsible for conducting many rituals
Machu Picchu contains many religious structures
A testament to the importance the Inca placed on religion & ritual
Used rituals to reinforce their relationship with the supernatural force of existence
Emperor
Cave of the observatory may represent the Inca underworld
Structure acts as a representation of Inca myth as much as a center for astronomical study
Intihuatana
Carved boulder located in ritual sector of Machu Picchu
Reflected belief in spirits within the earth
Reinforced Inca connection to them
Function:
Emperor was very spiritually engaged and was the spiritual leader of his people- performed rituals relating to supernatural forces at this site
Number of religious artifacts represent power of the emperor
The Intihuatana or a carved boulder (“hitching post of the sun”)- used sun and shadows to tell the time (religious rituals were very time oriented)
Used for astronomy and studying the sky- people went to the high points of the building
Area where the elite could gather- plan the fate of the empire, have feasts, and perform religious acts.
Recreation of Inca myth- people would travel to Machu picchu and feel connected to their ancestors who also made great pilgrimages
Then and now Machu Picchu is burdened by its high visitation rate- difficult to maintain the historical integrity of the site
Themes:
Sacred spaces
Myth
Power-authority- divine leaders
Symbolism
Sun and divine rights of emperor
History/memory of Inca people
Identity of Inca people
Performance (term used loosely- religious rituals were active)
Cross-cultural Connection:
Great Stupa at Sanchi
Both the Stupa & the Inca observatory work to allow for a better understanding of our lives
Stupa stimulates circumambulation & movement towards enlightenment
Observatory facilitates exploration of astronomy & our universe
Both also act as physical representations of aspects of an ideology/religion
Observatory cave basement theorized to be a representation of the Inca underworld
The Stupa is an imitation of the universe & the human body in the lotus position
Position Buddha was in when he achieved enlightenment
Stonehenge
Both track astronomical events & were used extensively for rituals
Machu Picchu
Intihuatana marked the location of the sun
Markings in the observatory marked the June solstice
Stonehenge
Sun lines up with biggest stone during summer solstice
Sources:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/indigenous-americas/a/machu-picchu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeyZxu3mW-Y&feature=youtu.be
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/wright-inca-engineering.html
http://peabody.yale.edu/collections/anthropology/machu-picchu-agreement-between-yale-and-peru
