More than 2,000 years before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors, the Incas already had a rich culture of their own, different from that of other pre-Columbian peoples. Over the centuries, the Incas expanded their territories and assimilated characteristics from other cultures:Chavins, Nascas, Huaris, Paracas, Tiahuanacos, Mochicas and Chimús. Shortly before the discovery of America, the Incas dominated a large territory that included coastline and mountains and had developed a sophisticated, original art and elaborate technique.
Inca architecture stands out for its sobriety. On the coast, buildings were built of adobe and, in the Andean region, of stone. Building plans used to be rectangular, although archaeologists have discovered constructions with rounded shapes. Dating back to the period before the consolidation of the great Inca empire (around the 15th century), some imposing buildings such as the stepped temple of Chavín de Huántar - decorated with bas-reliefs and ceramic pieces -; the Sun Gate of Calasaya and the Palace of Huaca del Sol. After the consolidation of the empire, the gigantic monuments of Cuzco were erected, worked in stones fitted with almost mathematical precision. It should be noted, as one of the most beautiful examples of Inca architecture, the ruins of Machu Picchu, a city built in the Andes, perhaps in 1450. This city, discovered only at the beginning of the 20th century, may have served as a place of ceremonies religious, as for the Incas to protect themselves from the Spaniards during the wars of conquest. In Machu Picchu, the set of terraces and the astronomical observatory stand out.
Textile handicrafts reached a great technical level among the Andean Incas. Inca fabrics stood out for their varied prints and vivid colors. The Incas knew the technique of producing various types of fabrics thanks to the ease of raw material:cotton cultivation and the wool provided by llamas and alpacas. In textile crafts, it was common to apply feathers on mantles and hats.
Goldware — and, in general, metalworking — has also reached a high degree of development. The Gold Museum in Lima, Peru, houses objects of extraordinary beauty. Although most of the pieces were destroyed by the Spaniards during the occupation of the territory, there were still priestly robes embroidered in gold, gold gloves (gauntlets) also for use by priests, ornate helmets, cups, cups, plates, earrings and breastplates. . The museum also exhibits gold surgical instruments and a skull that underwent surgery to have part of the bone replaced with a gold plate. In order to educate the future emperors, raised in total seclusion, the Incas produced, in gold, small sculptures that reproduced sexual acts. Silver was used daily and, of the objects made from this material, few copies remained:mugs, vases, plates, cutlery and household ornaments.
None of the arts produced by the Incas, however, was as original as ceramics. The different styles and techniques allow us, today, to study the evolution of the empire and the succession of cultures that ended up creating the Inca culture. In Chavín and Paracas, ceramics were carved or painted with figures of felines. The thick pottery of Tihuanaco was painted red or orange and usually took the form of a stemless cup. A serpent coiled itself around this cup and the reptile's head protruded beyond the upper limit of the cup. In Recuay an almost white ceramic was manufactured, with carved decoration. Nazca developed a delicate and very thin ceramic:highly polished, it was decorated with fruits and flowers. Nazca pottery is known worldwide for using reduced and mummified human heads as a decorative element.
Inca Civilization
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