Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Inca architecture is the most significant pre-Columbian architecture in South America. The Incas inherited an architectural legacy from Tiwanaku, founded in the 2nd century B.C.E. in present-day Bolivia. A core characteristic of the architectural style was to use the topography and existing materials of the land as part of the design. [1]
Inca's infrastructure and water supply system have been hailed as “the pinnacle of the architectural and engineering works of the Inca civilization”. [1] Major Inca centers were chosen by experts who decided the site, its apportionment, and the basic layout of the city. In many cities we see great hydraulic engineering marvels.
The Inca state was known as the Kingdom of Cuzco before 1438. Over the course of the Inca Empire, the Inca used conquest and peaceful assimilation to incorporate the territory of modern-day Peru, followed by a large portion of western South America, into their empire, centered on the Andean mountain range.
The Inca Empire was unique in that it lacked many of the features associated with civilization in the Old World. Anthropologist Gordon McEwan wrote that the Incas were able to construct "one of the greatest imperial states in human history" without the use of the wheel, draft animals, knowledge of iron or steel, or even a system of writing. [9]
The Inca aqueducts refer to any of a series of aqueducts built by the Inca people. The Inca built such structures to increase arable land and provide drinking water and baths to the population. Due to water scarcity in the Andean region, advanced water management was necessary for the Inca to thrive and expand along much of the coast of Peru ...
The use of ashlar masonry made the temple much more difficult to construct, as the Inca did not use any stone with a slight imperfection or break. [18] By choosing this masonry type, the Inca intentionally demonstrated the importance of the building through the extent of the labor necessary to build the structure. [18]
After centuries of speculation, archaeologists in Peru have confirmed the existence of an underground tunnel network, thought to have been built by the Incas.. The groundbreaking discovery found ...
The stone is a great example of Inca knowledge in the evolution of construction. There are other stones with the same vertices but the twelve-angled stone is the most famous. As an example of the Incas' advanced stonework, the stone is a popular tourist attraction in Cusco and a site of pride for many locals.