﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  INCA 
  CULTURE 
  — 
  ROWE 
  247 
  

  

  hammered 
  into 
  thin 
  sheets, 
  and 
  the 
  decoration 
  added 
  by 
  hammering 
  

   the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  sheet 
  to 
  leave 
  a 
  relief 
  design 
  on 
  the 
  face 
  (repousse) 
  . 
  

  

  Casting 
  was 
  very 
  skillfully 
  done. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  Inca 
  cast 
  objects 
  are 
  

   of 
  bronze, 
  for 
  silver 
  and 
  gold 
  were 
  usually 
  treated 
  only 
  by 
  hammering, 
  

   except 
  when 
  used 
  as 
  inlays. 
  Bronze 
  bolas 
  weights 
  from 
  Machu 
  Picchu 
  

   have 
  a 
  hemispherical 
  depression 
  in 
  the 
  top 
  with 
  a 
  pin 
  across 
  it, 
  all 
  

   cast 
  in 
  one 
  piece. 
  The 
  decorative 
  heads 
  for 
  tomi 
  knives 
  were 
  cast 
  

   to 
  leave 
  a 
  considerable 
  extension 
  of 
  unshaped 
  metal 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   blade 
  of 
  the 
  knife 
  was 
  afterward 
  formed 
  by 
  hammering 
  and 
  cutting 
  

   (Mathewson, 
  1915). 
  

  

  The 
  appearance 
  of 
  solidity 
  was 
  produced 
  by 
  making 
  a 
  hollow 
  shell 
  

   of 
  sheet 
  gold 
  or 
  silver 
  hammered 
  in 
  the 
  desired 
  shape, 
  perhaps 
  a 
  hu- 
  

   man 
  figure 
  or 
  a 
  model 
  llama. 
  Nevertheless, 
  the 
  chroniclers 
  refer 
  

   occasionally 
  to 
  objects 
  of 
  ' 
  'solid 
  gold/' 
  and 
  perhaps 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  cast 
  

   objects 
  in 
  our 
  collections 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  historical 
  selection. 
  

  

  Riveting 
  was 
  skillfully 
  done 
  in 
  building 
  up 
  objects 
  of 
  sheet 
  metal, 
  

   and 
  edges 
  were 
  soldered 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  metal 
  being 
  joined. 
  Small 
  

   holes 
  were 
  drilled, 
  but 
  larger 
  holes 
  in 
  solid 
  objects 
  were 
  usually 
  cast 
  

   in 
  the 
  piece, 
  to 
  save 
  trouble 
  (Mathewson, 
  1915). 
  The 
  Inca 
  seem 
  not 
  

   to 
  have 
  plated 
  but 
  the 
  practice 
  was 
  known 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  Coast 
  

   (Lothrop, 
  1938, 
  pp. 
  17-19). 
  

  

  Both 
  incrustation 
  of 
  other 
  materials 
  in 
  metal 
  and 
  inlay 
  of 
  one 
  

   metal 
  in 
  another 
  were 
  practiced 
  by 
  the 
  Inca. 
  A 
  fine 
  silver 
  plate 
  in 
  

   Cuzco 
  is 
  incrusted 
  with 
  different-colored 
  bits 
  of 
  shell 
  (University 
  

   Museum; 
  Valcarcel, 
  1935 
  b, 
  pp. 
  180-181), 
  and 
  a 
  silver 
  llama 
  figurine 
  

   in 
  the 
  American 
  Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  is 
  incrusted 
  with 
  areas 
  

   of 
  lacquer 
  separated 
  by 
  gold 
  wires 
  (cloisonne). 
  An 
  Inca 
  ax 
  in 
  Madrid 
  

   is 
  of 
  bronze 
  inlaid 
  with 
  silver, 
  and 
  two 
  bronze 
  tomi 
  knives 
  in 
  Paris 
  

   have 
  similar 
  inlay 
  in 
  the 
  handles 
  (Lothrop, 
  1938, 
  pp. 
  14-15; 
  Musee 
  

   d'Ethnographie 
  du 
  Trocadero, 
  1933, 
  Nos. 
  354, 
  355). 
  

  

  Copper 
  and 
  bronze 
  tools 
  were 
  replaced 
  by 
  Spanish 
  iron 
  ones 
  soon 
  

   after 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  and, 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  chroniclers 
  described 
  native 
  

   techniques 
  of 
  metalworking, 
  processes 
  like 
  casting, 
  which 
  were 
  ap- 
  

   plied 
  primarily 
  to 
  bronze, 
  had 
  gone 
  out 
  of 
  use. 
  Cobo, 
  for 
  example 
  

   says 
  that 
  the 
  native 
  smiths 
  used 
  only 
  hammering 
  in 
  their 
  gold 
  and 
  

   silver 
  work, 
  and 
  got 
  the 
  false 
  impression 
  that 
  the 
  same 
  had 
  been 
  

   true 
  in 
  ancient 
  times 
  (1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  15). 
  The 
  data 
  from 
  the 
  

   chroniclers 
  on 
  metalworking 
  have 
  been 
  admirably 
  summarized 
  by 
  

   Lothrop 
  (1938, 
  pp. 
  11-17, 
  using 
  Cobo, 
  Garcilaso, 
  1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  2, 
  

   ch. 
  28, 
  and 
  Benzoni). 
  

  

  Gold 
  and 
  silver 
  were 
  used 
  almost 
  entirely 
  for 
  luxury 
  articles 
  and 
  

   ceremonial 
  objects. 
  Bangles 
  and 
  sequins 
  to 
  be 
  sewn 
  onto 
  clothing, 
  

   tupu 
  (topo) 
  pins 
  for 
  fastening 
  women's 
  garments, 
  plates 
  to 
  be 
  hung 
  

   around 
  the 
  neck, 
  and 
  figurines 
  representing 
  men, 
  women, 
  llamas, 
  

   and 
  alpacas 
  were 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  Inca 
  shrine 
  of 
  Titicaca 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  

  

  