﻿Vol.2] 
  INCA 
  CULTURE 
  — 
  ROWE 
  287 
  

  

  hanging 
  boulders 
  (Eaton, 
  1916). 
  25 
  Morua 
  mentions 
  cremation 
  and 
  

   the 
  suttee 
  (voluntary 
  immolation 
  of 
  the 
  widow) 
  as 
  Andean 
  customs, 
  

   but 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  aware, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  other 
  evidence 
  for 
  such 
  practices 
  

   (1922-25, 
  bk. 
  3, 
  ch. 
  34). 
  Urn 
  burial 
  of 
  infants, 
  probably 
  in 
  the 
  

   houses, 
  was 
  occasionally 
  practiced 
  at 
  Cuzco, 
  as 
  attested 
  by 
  a 
  find 
  of 
  

   Inca 
  date 
  at 
  Coripata 
  on 
  the 
  southwest 
  side 
  of 
  town 
  (University 
  

   Museum, 
  Cuzco). 
  

  

  ESTHETIC 
  AND 
  RECREATIONAL 
  ACTIVITIES 
  

  

  Art. 
  — 
  The 
  wealth 
  and 
  pageantry 
  that 
  characterized 
  the 
  Inca 
  court 
  

   created 
  a 
  greater 
  demand 
  for 
  beautiful 
  objects 
  than 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  

   in 
  any 
  previous 
  period 
  of 
  Andean 
  history, 
  while 
  the 
  economic 
  security 
  

   which 
  the 
  Inca 
  state 
  provided 
  the 
  craftsmen 
  similarly 
  increased 
  pro- 
  

   duction. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  looting 
  by 
  the 
  Spanish 
  conquerors, 
  the 
  quantity 
  

   of 
  Inca 
  artifacts 
  which 
  has 
  survived 
  is 
  astounding. 
  The 
  very 
  abun- 
  

   dance 
  of 
  Inca 
  material 
  in 
  the 
  Andean 
  region 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  

   rarer 
  objects 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  the 
  commonplace 
  ones. 
  

  

  Inca 
  objects 
  consistently 
  show 
  certain 
  qualities 
  which 
  reflect 
  the 
  

   new 
  political 
  and 
  economic 
  conditions 
  and 
  are 
  in 
  marked 
  contrast 
  

   to 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  earlier 
  cultures. 
  The 
  first 
  is 
  a 
  general 
  high 
  level 
  

   of 
  technical 
  excellence, 
  which 
  involves 
  few 
  really 
  new 
  elements, 
  but 
  

   incorporates 
  developments 
  contributed 
  by 
  many 
  conquered 
  peoples: 
  

   bronze 
  tools 
  and 
  metal 
  casting, 
  accurate 
  fitting 
  of 
  large, 
  irregular 
  

   blocks 
  of 
  stone, 
  fine 
  tapestry, 
  lacquered 
  wooden 
  cups, 
  and 
  fine 
  metal- 
  

   hard 
  pottery. 
  Another 
  notable 
  quality 
  of 
  Inca 
  art 
  is 
  the 
  constant 
  

   repetition 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  simple 
  types, 
  a 
  mark 
  of 
  mass-production. 
  The 
  

   painted 
  designs 
  on 
  Inca 
  water 
  jars, 
  for 
  instance, 
  consist 
  of 
  simple 
  

   elements 
  repeated 
  from 
  jar 
  to 
  jar 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  order 
  and 
  so 
  mechani- 
  

   cally 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  almost 
  be 
  machine-printed. 
  After 
  studying 
  a 
  

   few 
  whole 
  pieces, 
  one 
  can 
  tell 
  instantly 
  on 
  what 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  jar 
  a 
  

   small 
  sherd 
  fitted 
  by 
  examining 
  the 
  bit 
  of 
  painted 
  pattern 
  on 
  its 
  

   outside 
  face. 
  A 
  few 
  Inca 
  pieces, 
  however, 
  show 
  a 
  freshness 
  and 
  origi- 
  

   nality 
  comparable 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  finest 
  Early 
  Nazca 
  pieces, 
  but 
  the 
  

   rule 
  in 
  Nazca 
  collections 
  is 
  the 
  exception 
  in 
  Inca 
  ones 
  (fig. 
  28, 
  p. 
  244). 
  

  

  The 
  Inca 
  decorated 
  wooden 
  cups, 
  pottery, 
  tapestry, 
  and 
  probably 
  

   the 
  walls 
  of 
  their 
  houses 
  with 
  geometric 
  patterns 
  and 
  life 
  designs 
  

   which 
  are 
  often 
  informative 
  and 
  always 
  charming. 
  Motives 
  are 
  

   most 
  often 
  plants 
  and 
  flowers, 
  next 
  insects, 
  then 
  men, 
  and 
  last 
  ani- 
  

   mals, 
  especially 
  llamas 
  and 
  pumas. 
  Battle 
  and 
  hunting 
  scenes 
  are 
  

   common, 
  and 
  women 
  are 
  usually 
  shown 
  with 
  flowers. 
  The 
  figures 
  

   are 
  conventionally 
  reduced 
  to 
  an 
  idealized, 
  somewhat 
  geometric 
  

   shape, 
  filled 
  in 
  with 
  simple 
  areas 
  of 
  flat 
  color. 
  

  

  11 
  Early 
  in 
  1943, 
  workmen 
  removing 
  gravel 
  from 
  a 
  pit 
  near 
  the 
  Cuzco 
  railroad 
  station 
  found 
  a 
  few 
  inter- 
  

   ments 
  in 
  habitation 
  rubbish 
  with 
  Late 
  Inca 
  pottery, 
  but 
  the 
  burials 
  were 
  removed 
  before 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  

   properly 
  recorded. 
  

  

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