Essay 3

One of the most spectacular archaeological sites in the world is the Inca city of Machu Picchu, in Peru (
20.15). Beginning around 1430 and moving with amazing swiftness, the Incas created the largest empire
of its time in the world. By 1500 Inca rule extended for some 3,400 miles along the Pacific Coast. Incan
textiles are some of the finest in the long tradition of South American fiber work (see 12.10). Incan
artists also excelled in sculptures and other objects of silver and gold. But the most original Incan genius
expressed itself in stonework. Over 20,000 miles of stone-paved roads were built to speed
communication and travel across the far-flung empire. Massive masonry walls of Incan buildings were
constructed of large blocks of granite patiently shaped through abrasion until they fit together perfectly
with no mortar. Machu Picchu is set high in the Andes Mountains overlooking a hairpin turn in the
Urubamba River thousands of feet below. Builders leveled off the site to create a small plateau and
constructed terraces for houses and agriculture. Also visible at Machu Picchu is the wholly distinctive
Incan sensitivity to the natural landscape. At the northern end of Machu Picchu, for example, a free-
standing boulder was carved to resemble the silhouette of a peak that can be seen beyond it in the
distance. Elsewhere a rounded building known as the Observatory accommodates a huge boulder into
its walls and interior. Part of the boulder is subtly sculpted to create a staircase and chamber. The Inca
believed stones and people to be equally alive and capable of changing into one another. This attitude
seems to have resulted in their unique approach of relating architecture to its setting.

Getlein, Mark (2013-01-01). Living with Art, 10th edition (Page 465). McGraw-Hill Higher Education -A.
Kindle Edition.