﻿Vol.2] 
  INCA 
  CULTURE 
  — 
  ROWE 
  327 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  memory 
  supplementary 
  to 
  or 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  quipu 
  (Pachacuti, 
  

   1879, 
  pp. 
  237, 
  291). 
  

  

  Astronomy 
  and 
  the 
  calendar. 
  — 
  The 
  Inca 
  looked 
  upon 
  the 
  sun, 
  moon, 
  

   planets, 
  and 
  stars 
  as 
  important 
  supernatural 
  beings, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  their 
  

   star 
  lore 
  was 
  consequently 
  of 
  a 
  religious 
  character. 
  (See 
  Religion.) 
  

   However, 
  the 
  heavenly 
  bodies 
  were 
  also 
  observed 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  regulate 
  

   the 
  Inca 
  calendar, 
  an 
  aspect 
  of 
  their 
  study 
  which 
  is 
  more 
  properly 
  

   classed 
  as 
  astronomical. 
  

  

  The 
  Inca 
  took 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  the 
  moon 
  into 
  

   account 
  in 
  making 
  their 
  calendar, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  entirely 
  clear 
  how 
  the 
  

   two 
  were 
  reconciled. 
  The 
  difficulty 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  solar 
  year 
  is 
  just 
  under 
  

   365 
  days 
  and 
  a 
  quarter, 
  while 
  12 
  lunar 
  months 
  come 
  only 
  to 
  about 
  354 
  

   days. 
  Hence, 
  a 
  cycle 
  of 
  12 
  lunar 
  months 
  falls 
  behind 
  the 
  solar 
  year 
  at 
  

   the 
  rate 
  of 
  about 
  one-third 
  of 
  a 
  month 
  a 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  sun 
  was 
  observed 
  to 
  fix 
  the 
  seasons 
  for 
  planting 
  and 
  thereby 
  

   start 
  the 
  agricultural 
  year. 
  The 
  observations 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  means 
  

   of 
  four 
  small 
  square 
  masonry 
  towers 
  (paca-onancaq, 
  "time 
  markers") 
  

   built 
  in 
  a 
  row 
  on 
  the 
  skyline 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  Cuzco 
  to 
  mark 
  the 
  places 
  

   where 
  the 
  sun 
  rose 
  and 
  set 
  at 
  sowing 
  time. 
  The 
  two 
  center 
  ones 
  were 
  

   close 
  together, 
  and 
  the 
  outside 
  ones 
  farther 
  apart. 
  Observations 
  were 
  

   taken 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Square 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  where 
  there 
  was 
  

   a 
  raised 
  platform 
  (osno) 
  used 
  as 
  an 
  imperial 
  judgment 
  seat. 
  When 
  

   the 
  sun 
  passed 
  the 
  outside 
  tower, 
  it 
  was 
  time 
  to 
  sow 
  early 
  crops 
  (Aug- 
  

   ust), 
  and, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  framed 
  by 
  the 
  two 
  central 
  towers, 
  it 
  was 
  time 
  

   for 
  the 
  general 
  sowing 
  (September) 
  , 
  38 
  

  

  Cobo 
  states 
  that 
  similar 
  observations 
  were 
  taken 
  to 
  fix 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  at 
  the 
  December 
  solstice, 
  when 
  the 
  festival 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  month 
  (qhapaq 
  raymi) 
  was 
  celebrated, 
  and, 
  following 
  Polo 
  de 
  

   Ondegardo, 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  towers 
  to 
  mark 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  every 
  

   month 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  12, 
  ch. 
  37; 
  Polo, 
  1916 
  a, 
  chs. 
  7, 
  16). 
  Garci- 
  

   laso 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  towers 
  were 
  used 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  solstices, 
  while 
  a 
  

   sort 
  of 
  sundial, 
  made 
  by 
  setting 
  a 
  pole 
  in 
  a 
  circular 
  space 
  and 
  noting 
  

   its 
  shadow, 
  was 
  used 
  to 
  mark 
  the 
  equinoxes 
  (1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  22). 
  

   These 
  claims 
  are 
  doubtful 
  for 
  several 
  reasons. 
  First, 
  Garcilaso 
  is 
  the 
  

   first 
  chronicler 
  who 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  Inca 
  observed 
  the 
  solstices, 
  and 
  the 
  

   only 
  one 
  who 
  claims 
  that 
  they 
  observed 
  the 
  equinoxes. 
  Cobo 
  probably 
  

   borrowed 
  his 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  solstices 
  from 
  Garcilaso, 
  so 
  that 
  both 
  claims 
  

   stand 
  only 
  on 
  Garcilaso's 
  authority, 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  great 
  in 
  matters 
  

   of 
  this 
  kind. 
  Second, 
  if 
  the 
  Inca 
  observed 
  the 
  solstices, 
  or 
  both 
  sol- 
  

   stices 
  and 
  equinoxes, 
  these 
  events 
  should 
  figure 
  prominently 
  in 
  the 
  

   ceremonial 
  calendar, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  mentioned 
  there. 
  Polo's 
  story 
  

   that 
  solar 
  observations 
  were 
  taken 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  every 
  month 
  

  

  38 
  Anonymous 
  Discurso, 
  1906, 
  pp. 
  150-52; 
  Betanzos, 
  1880, 
  chs. 
  15, 
  18; 
  Cieza, 
  1880, 
  bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  26; 
  Poma, 
  1936 
  

   p. 
  260 
  (modification 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  provinces); 
  Sarmiento, 
  1906, 
  ch. 
  30 
  (he 
  evidently 
  failed 
  to 
  understand 
  the 
  

   principle 
  involved). 
  It 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  locate 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  the 
  "calendar 
  towers" 
  on 
  the 
  skyline 
  of 
  

   Cuzco, 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  observations 
  as 
  a 
  check 
  on 
  the 
  chroniclers. 
  

  

  