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The city of
Cuzco was
once Qosq'o, the capital of the Inca Empire. Today, Cuzco is a
vibrant
and colorful place, with 200, 000 inhabitants whereas Qosq'o is
believed
to have had up to 300, 000 inhabitants.
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The Inca Empire's period of glory was much more recent and more brief than one might guess. In 1430, the Incas ruled only the Qosq'o area. They started a campaign of expansion that soon had them in control of territories from modern Chile and Northern Argentina to Southern Colombia. However, by 1532, Pizarro had captured the Emperor Atahualpa, and the Inca Empire ceased existing as such. |
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The Spaniards
used the
Inca walls as foundations for their own structures. In order to find
independent
Inca construction, you must get out of town a bit. As you can see, the
important Inca site of Sacsayhuamán overlooks colonial and
modern
Cuzco.
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Although Sacsayhuamán was not built over, it was severely damaged by the Spaniards, using dynameet, according to my guide. She described the collision between the two civilisations as if it had happened to her, personally, the day before yesterday. |
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It has not
been determined
with certainty how the Inca masons measured and transported the
enormous
stones. But we know for sure that the Incas didn't use wheels, and
hadn't
developed an alphabet. The Incas, who were already going through inner
dissent, didn't have a chance against the Spaniards.
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It was a clash of forces from different eras, as if Ancient Egypt had been quickly conquered by the forces of Henry VIII. But nothing is so simple, and the dissolution of the Inca Empire also brings to mind some recent cataclysms in the business world. The Empire was a precursor of companies that, having overextended themselves, fall victim to some takeover. |
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In downtown
Cuzco, Inca
walls are everywhere. Instead of bothering with dynameet, the Spaniards
just built above them. This illustrious stone of 12 sides is found in a
nondescript alley, where a nice kid waits all day to take
pictures
for gringos for a little tip.
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Tambo Machay is another site. The guide told me this was the fountain of eternal youth, so of course, I had several swigs. Then I read in my book this was a ceremonial bath! |
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And just in
case you start
feeling for the poor dear Incas, there is the small and spooky site of
Q'enqo. You travel under a huge boulder to find a polished altar where
lamas, and selected maidens were sacrificed.
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European Romantics saw the Incas as a defeated noble race. In Verdi's opera La Forza Del Destino, for instance, the hero Don Alvaro, is an Inca pursued by an implacable fate. Five hundred years after the conquest, it is not all that clear who was victor and who was vainquished. Today's Cuzco is, architecturally, a gorgeous blend of Inca and Spanish Baroque. Yet all the people you speak to are very proud of their Inca heritage. And they're ready to fight against unpopular government actions with the same spirit that their ancestors gathered against the Spaniards. |
