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City of CuscoCity of Cusco plan © Michael Freeman/Corbis

City of Cusco

Central highlands, Peru. Inka. c. 1440 C.E.; convent added 1550–1650 C.E. Andesite.

Curator Note

"The city shaped like a puma. The Inka master masons fit massive stones together so perfectly that not even a knife blade could fit between them, creating earthquake-proof walls that still stand today."

Form

  • Ashlar Masonry: Stones shaped to fit perfectly without mortar (dry-stone).
  • Trapezoidal shapes: Windows, doors, and niches are wider at the bottom for stability.
  • Pillow-faced stones: Stones are slightly rounded to shed water and look organic.
  • Zoomorphic Plan: The city was laid out in the shape of a Puma (head = fortress, heart = square).
  • Integration with nature: Walls follow the rock contours.

Function

  • Capital of the Inka Empire (Tawantinsuyu = Land of Four Quarters).
  • Axis Mundi: The center from which all 4 roads and 42 ceque lines (spirit paths) radiated.
  • Political and religious hub for the elite (Sapa Inka and priests).
  • Qorikancha: Temple of the Sun (spiritual heart).
  • Saqsaywaman: Fortress protecting the city (head of the puma).

Content

  • Qorikancha (Golden Enclosure): Walls were once covered in sheets of solid gold.
  • Ceque Lines: Invisible lines connecting the temple to holy sites (huacas) across the mountains.
  • Hanan (Upper) and Hurin (Lower) Cusco: Social division of the city.
  • Stone of Twelve Angles: Demonstrates the perfection of Inka masonry.
  • Santo Domingo Convent: Spanish church built directly on top of the Qorikancha walls.

Context

  • Rebuilt by Pachacuti Inka Yupanqui in the mid-15th century.
  • Inka Empire did not use the wheel or iron tools; labor was the tax (Mita system).
  • Spanish Conquest: Temples were stripped of gold; masonry was repurposed for colonial buildings.
  • The masonry style is earthquake-resistant (stones "dance" and resettle).
  • Reflects the Inka desire to control and order the natural world.