Cities
Inca cities were some of the most beautiful in the world, such as one of the few still standing, Machu Picchu. Incas made their cities so that they blended in with the natural surroundings of the mountains. All buildings in the city were made out of stone. Instead of wasting valuable resources building walls around their cities, the Incas built a fortress/safe house inside cities were people would run in times of war or terror. Each city was built around a market place or central plaza. Around this central plaza were temples, government offices and housing for priests, nobles and other important figures. All of the important Inca decorated their houses with gold and silver which signified wealth. The commoners lived in huts away from the city centre so that they were closer to the fields where they worked. Roads and Bridges Connecting these cities together were roads. In total the Incan Empire had 14,000 miles of road spanning the length of Western South America from Ecuador down to Chile. They had more than double the road length of New York City. But the Incas never invented the wheel meaning they travelled by foot and the roads were reserved for the important government officials, nobles and news bearers. Commoners were forbidden and if found on roads would be tossed off a mountain. Just like modern day cities the Incas had road signs to direct people and had suspension bridges spanning across their harsh terrain. They also had shelters called Tambo that were strategically placed a days walk from each other. The Incas had some of the most developed road systems considering the terrain they lived in. Building Structures The Inca built their civilisation down the coast of south America, directly inline with the with the ring of fire. Meaning that Earthquakes were common in the area. When building their cities they built the houses slanted inwards which helped to prevent damage during an earthquake. The terrace farms that surrounded the cities also helped to prevent landslides during a major earthquake. Cuzco Cuzco was the capital of the Inca Empire. Tucked away 10,000 feet above sea level in a mountain valley. Like all Inca cities, Cuzco was beautiful. Temples, Government Buildings, Houses and gardens sprawled across the city. There was a huge courtyard in the centre of the city which held festivities for the Inca people. The city had four streets running into it, these separated the 4 districts of the Inca. Chinchansuyu to the North, Antisuyu to the East, Collasuyu to the South and Chuntinsuyu to the the west of Cuzco. The Sapa Inca lived in a temple in Central Cuzco. The army was also based here. Cuzco was the jewel of the Inca and flourished until the Spanish Conquest in 1559 AD. |