﻿222 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  HOUSES 
  AND 
  ARCHITECTUKE 
  

  

  Domestic 
  architecture. 
  — 
  Ordinary 
  Inca 
  houses 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   quite 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  modern 
  Qiiechua 
  and 
  Aymara, 
  but 
  

   study 
  of 
  Inca 
  domestic 
  architecture 
  has 
  been 
  rather 
  neglected 
  in 
  

   favor 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  impressive 
  public 
  buildings, 
  so 
  that 
  construction 
  

   details 
  are 
  little 
  known. 
  

  

  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  houses 
  around 
  Cuzco 
  were 
  built 
  either 
  of 
  field 
  

   stones 
  laid 
  in 
  mud 
  or 
  of 
  adobe, 
  and 
  were 
  rectangular 
  in 
  plan, 
  with 
  a 
  

   gabled 
  or 
  hip 
  roof 
  of 
  thatch 
  on 
  a 
  framework 
  of 
  poles. 
  Cobo 
  describes 
  

   the 
  construction 
  of 
  such 
  houses. 
  The 
  walls, 
  about 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  a 
  

   man, 
  were 
  thin 
  and 
  weak. 
  The 
  roof 
  was 
  supported 
  by 
  a 
  framework 
  

   of 
  branches 
  and 
  cane, 
  and 
  thatched 
  with 
  ichtj 
  grass 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  

   bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  3). 
  Houses 
  of 
  this 
  type 
  are 
  abundant 
  at 
  Machu 
  Picchu, 
  

   where 
  the 
  special 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  site 
  impose 
  certain 
  peculiarities. 
  

   Machu 
  Picchu 
  (pis. 
  81, 
  82) 
  was 
  evidently 
  planned 
  and 
  built 
  as 
  a 
  unit, 
  

   probably 
  by 
  mit'a 
  labor 
  working 
  under 
  professional 
  architects, 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  walls 
  were 
  stouter 
  and 
  better 
  built 
  than 
  in 
  most 
  Highland 
  houses. 
  

   Moreover, 
  stone 
  is 
  abundant 
  at 
  Machu 
  Picchu, 
  while 
  good 
  clay 
  is 
  not, 
  

   so 
  that 
  more 
  care 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  fit 
  the 
  stones 
  tightly. 
  As 
  thatch 
  has 
  

   to 
  be 
  very 
  steeply 
  pitched 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  keep 
  out 
  driving 
  rain, 
  the 
  Machu 
  

   Picchu 
  houses 
  have 
  much 
  higher 
  gables 
  than 
  buildings 
  in 
  the 
  drier 
  

   Cuzco 
  region 
  (Bingham, 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  438, 
  452, 
  468, 
  478, 
  etc.). 
  These 
  

   Machu 
  Picchu 
  houses 
  and 
  better-class 
  houses 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  Highlands 
  

   in 
  ancient 
  times 
  were 
  almost 
  certainly 
  entirely 
  plastered 
  with 
  fine 
  

   mud 
  which 
  concealed 
  the 
  wall 
  construction. 
  Traces 
  of 
  plaster 
  

   remain 
  in 
  many 
  Inca 
  ruins: 
  Chachabamba, 
  near 
  Machu 
  Picchu; 
  

   Ollantay 
  tambo 
  ; 
  the 
  Amarucancha 
  at 
  Cuzco; 
  and 
  the 
  Temple 
  of 
  

   Viracocha 
  at 
  Cacha, 
  where 
  fine 
  masonry 
  was 
  partly 
  covered. 
  Ke- 
  

   mains 
  of 
  common 
  houses 
  are 
  abundant 
  near 
  Cuzco, 
  but 
  are 
  easily 
  

   overlooked. 
  A 
  few 
  were 
  partially 
  excavated 
  in 
  Sacsahuaman 
  in 
  1934, 
  

   but 
  were 
  not 
  entered 
  on 
  the 
  plan; 
  others 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  Muyucocha 
  

   and 
  Catacasallacta. 
  (See 
  Rowe, 
  1944.) 
  

  

  Adobe 
  houses 
  are 
  so 
  often 
  mentioned 
  for 
  Inca 
  Cuzco 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  the 
  houses 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  built 
  wholly 
  or 
  partially 
  of 
  

   that 
  material 
  (Sancho, 
  1917, 
  ch. 
  17; 
  Morua, 
  1922-25, 
  bk. 
  4, 
  ch. 
  2). 
  

   Adobe 
  ruins 
  are 
  still 
  fairly 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  Cuzco 
  region, 
  but, 
  easily 
  

   damaged 
  by 
  the 
  rains, 
  few 
  remain 
  in 
  good 
  condition. 
  As 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   surviving 
  adobe 
  buildings 
  are 
  the 
  more 
  solidly 
  built 
  government 
  con- 
  

   structions, 
  Inca 
  use 
  of 
  adobe 
  will 
  be 
  discussed 
  below 
  with 
  other 
  forms 
  

   of 
  public 
  architecture. 
  

  

  Although 
  rectangular 
  houses 
  were 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  Cuzco 
  region, 
  

   round 
  houses 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  late 
  archeological 
  sites 
  in 
  Quechua 
  territory 
  

   in 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Apurimac 
  (reported 
  by 
  Oscar 
  Nunez 
  del 
  Prado), 
  

   and 
  are 
  mentioned 
  for 
  the 
  Huanca 
  (RGI, 
  1881-97, 
  1:89). 
  Cobo 
  

  

  