Inca Architecture

The essence of Inka architecture cannot be distilled into a single word. Three themes demand recognition: precision, functionality, and austerity. The Inka stonefitters worked stone with a precision unparalleled in human history; their architects clearly esteemed functionality above decoration; yet their constructions achieved breathtaking beauty through austerity of line and juxtaposition of masses. The Inka seem to have presaged Mies Van der Rohe's philosophy of "less is more".

The dominant stylistic form in Inka architecture is a simple, but elegantly proportioned trapezoid, which serves the dual ends of functionality and severely restrained decoration. Trapezoidal doorways, windows, and wall niches are found in Inka constructions of all types, from the most finely wrought temples to crudely built walls in unimportant buildings. The doorways and windows are obviously functional, and the niches probably served a variety of functions as yet unidentified by the archeologists. Placement of these trapezoidal openings was primarily functional, but occasionally, esthetic arrangements might dominate the placement of the trapezoids, if there was no conflict with functionality.
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Perhaps the single field in which the Inka builders allowed fancy to supercede function is in their playful handling of flowing water. Sparkling streams cascade from stone spouts, sometimes decorated with carved designs, into joyfully splashing basins, then flow through quite unnecessarily complex stone channels to pour into the next fountain (or bath, as the fountains are sometimes referred to) and so on from fountain to fountain, one after the other. The Inkas employed the sight and sound of water as an element of architectural design and evidently enjoyed demonstrating their mastery over the course of this essential fluid.

Various aspects of Inka architecture-- construction methods, design, and characteristic features-- will be illustrated in the following paragraphs, using photos taken in well-known archeological sites in the Cusco - Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu area. No special archeological or architectural expertise is claimed by the strictly amateur compiler of this webpage, just a respectful awe of the achievements of these superb Andean architects and engineers who left modern society these astounding monuments to enjoy and puzzle over.