INCA IN FOCUS CUZCO - The Inca Capital

Transcription

1 History UZCO - The Sa m Read a brief and factual history about the Inca Capital - Cuzco In this e-guide you will: *Read about life of the ancient Incas in Cuzco *Write about Cuzco *Make a Toy Llama ENRICHMENT4YOU Published by Henrich Incorporated Copyright 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without first obtaining the written permission of the copyright owner. Aztec, Maya & Inca ple file Inca Capital in Focus History C

2 ABOUT THIS ENRICHMENT GUIDE This enrichment guide is designed to give you a short, but interesting description of the Inca capital, Cuzco. This e-guide is divided into five fun sections for you to explore: 1. Overview of Cuzco - Pages Selection of Setting Development Statements - Pages Selection of vocabulary - Additional Details for Setting - Pages Write a Description of the Inca Capital Cuzco - Page ACTIVITY Make a Llama Toy - Pages History Aztec, Maya & Inca

3 The capital of the Inca empire was Cuzco. From the 14th century to the conquest by the Spanish explores in the year 1533, Cuzco was a thriving city in the heart of Peru. Located at an altitude of 3,416 miles, Cuzco featured narrow winding and cobblestone streets, adobe and stone houses and open markets. The land of the Incas was called Tawantisuyu, which means four parts. The empire featured very different land and climate. The empire included coastal desert, high peaks, fertile valleys, tropical forest and irrigated valleys. The word Inca refers to the ruler and to the people of the Cuzco valley. The official language of the Inca was Quechua, but there were at least twenty other languages spoken throughout the Inca empire. Cuzco was the oldest city in the Americas to be continuously inhabited. As the religious and administrative capital of the Inca empire, it held par for the grand governments of any culture. Cuzco was the primary location where all persons of importance would travel. History 1 Aztec, Maya & Inca

4 Located in the Vilcanota and Urubamba valleys, the countryside was a perfect location for agriculture. The land was nurtured with glacial streams. Surrounded by snow-covered mountains and subtropical valleys it was and is a beautiful location. Cuzco, was designed based on an arrangement of broad streets that were intersected by smaller ones that would meet in an open square. The square was outlined by stone buildings and temples which were usually one story. Another interesting feature of Cuzco was it was designed in the shape of a puma. Its head was the location of the 15th century fortress, Sacsahuaman. Its tail was where the two rivers, the Huatanay and Tullumayo met. Two of the most outstanding buildings of Cuzco were the temple of the sun, Coricancha and the stone fortress, Sacsahuaman. Boulders weighing as much as 190 tons were used in their construction. Great cut-stone blocks that were fitted together so closely that mortar wasn t required, is one of the most notable features of this Inca city. The city center features both ceremonial and official complexes. Homes of ruling officials are also located in this areas. Other homes and buildings were located in the surrounding countryside. History 2 Aztec, Maya & Inca Four main roads which were finely paved left the center square to the four corners of the Inca empire. The palaces of the Inca kings was located in the city and was the location of ceremonies focused on the Inca calendar.

5 Cuzco was near the Inca Trail. As such, many caravans and travels were drawn to the capital city. They would bring many commodities for trade, barter and to sell in the marketplace. Skilled artisans would turn the raw goods into stunning objects. Gold for example was considered only valuable after it was made into something. The Inca turned raw gold into ceremonial objects, containers and jewelry. It was also used to decorate the tombs and temples of the Inca. Gold was believed to be the sweat of the sun by the Inca. Vessels and figures were made through a casting method. Wax objects were carved from beeswax. The beeswax was then covered with a layer of clay. As the clay was heated, the wax would melt out of the mold. The remaining clay cavity was filled with molten gold, silver or copper. Crafting precious metals into precious artifacts began over 3,500 years ago in the Andes. Even combinations of precious metals such as gold and silver or gold and copper were developed. The Incas were also skilled with fashioning objects from semiprecious stones. Jade, onyx, rock crystal, porphyry were all utilized in jewelry, vessels and even masks. The Inca particularly like turquoise. They would add silver and gold inlay to turquoise embellished objects. History 3 Aztec, Maya & Inca The Inca also enjoyed music. Panpipes were the most commonly played Andean instrument. They were usually constructed from clay, cane and even the quills of a condor.

6 In addition to their other talents, the Inca raised Vicunas and llamas from which they obtained pack animals, a food source and wool for weaving. Masters of weaving, Peruvians wove ponchos, colorful caps and bags made from wool. Vicuna wool was softer and usually only the Inca elite wore garments from this material. Alpaca wool was worn by most of the commoners.. Peruvian textiles featured abstract geometric motifs and images of birds, animals, fish and humans. Even the whorls on drop spindles would be decorated with designs. In addition to being skilled weavers, the Inca were skilled at embroidery. Again, stylized designs of animals and geometric shapes were stitched onto fabrics. The Inca did not have a writing system. Instead they used a device called a quipus. These were used to keep an accounting of products such as harvests, how many animals were in the empire, and tribute that needed to be payed. History 4 Aztec, Maya & Inca The Andean people also believed in an afterlife. Corpses were placed in a flexed position and then wrapped with cording. Textiles were then wrapped around the corpse and seated in an upright position. Mummies of Inca emperors were consulted about important issues and were paraded in the streets during festivals.