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Inca Masonry at Cuzco
Author(s): Morris K. Jessup
Source: American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 36, No. 2, (Apr. - Jun., 1934), pp. 239-241
Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Anthropological Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/661692
Accessed: 18/08/2008 13:04
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INCA MASONRY AT CUZCO
IN OCTOBER 1930 the writer had an
opportunity
to examine the Inca
ruins at Cuzco
during
an all too brief visit to that historic
city.
One or
two features of the ancient stone work which were noticed at that time seem
worth
recording.
It has often been
pointed
out that the
workmanship
in Inca
masonry
is of a
superb
nature with
joints
so
perfect
as not to
permit
the
penetration
of a
penknife.
It is a further matter of note that each stone is so formed
that it can
occupy
one and
only
one
position
in the
walls,
and that no mortar
was used in the construction. It is the
purpose
of this
paper
to
explain
the
first two
points
and show that mortar is
unnecessary.
Let us
study
Plate
5,
A. This is the famous "stone with twelve
corners,"
which is so often cited as an
example
of the careful
forethought
used in
planning
a wall so that each stone fits a certain niche. On a casual
inspection
of this stone it occurred to the writer that the stones were not
quarried
to these weird
shapes,
but were
quarried roughly
and then
ground
to their
final
shape
in situ. The
photos
seem to
prove
this
assumption.
In
5,
A we
may
assume the lowest
layer
to be in
place.
The mason then
lays
the
rough stone,
No.
1,
on the wall and his
helpers proceed
to fit it
by pulling
it back and forth at
right angles
to the face of the wall until its
left hand and bottom surfaces fit
perfectly against
those of their
neighbors.
Large
twelve-cornered
stone,
No.
2,
was next in
place.
The curvature of
the
joint, 1-2,
and the rounded corners indicate
grinding
in situ. Third
in
place
was No.
3, again
with a curved
joint.
Numbers
4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
were
put
on in
order,
each
being perfectly
fitted before the next was started.
Notice how No. 4 was worked in as a
wedge
under its own
weight.
The
rounded corners and curved sides are a natural result of
grinding.
Corners
4-5-6,
2-7-8,
and 2-8-9 are
especially interesting
in this
respect.
It is at once obvious that
joints
so made could
easily
reach a
perfection
such that the
penetration
of a knife would be difficult or
impossible,
and
expecially
so if the fine sand and
powder
caused
by
the
grinding
were
per-
mitted to remain in the
joints,
which seems to have
happened
in some cases.
Plate
5,
B shows a wall of somewhat better
grade;
at least there is more
attention to detail. Here there is
ample
material for
checking
the
assump-
tion that stones were fitted in situ. Without
going
into detail it will be suffi-
cient to call attention to certain stones and
joints. Anyone
with sufficient
interest can work out the
approximate
order in which the stones were
placed.
Notice is directed to corner
1-2-3,
base of No.
4,
corner
5-6-7,
239
By
MORRIS K.
JESSUP
AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST
upper
surface of No.
8,
lower surface of No.
9,
and
many
others. The stone
above
joint
1-2 is
especially interesting.
It is to be surmised that the
quarry-
ing
was done with
greater
care in this case since the elements of the wall
of Plate
5,
B are much more
nearly rectangular.
In Plates
5,
C and
6,
A are shown two
examples
of walls with smooth
surfaces,
the stones
having
the outer ends flush. It is said that the wall of
the
Temple
of the Sun is seven to nine feet thick. Its outer sides have a
pronounced slope
and curved contours.
Fitting by rubbing
is
again
in
evidence,
but even more
striking
is the smooth curved surface. The
quarry-
ing
here
represents
an advanced
stage,
stones
being approximately
fitted
before
being placed
in the wall. The surface was
probably
smoothed and
rounded
by
the
application
of abrasive stones to the wall after blocks were
fitted in
place.
The
sloping
wall would facilitate this and
might,
in
part,
be an outcome of the method.
Plate
6,
A is an inner wall in the
Temple
of the Sun
showing
a still
more advanced
quarrying.
The final
fitting
was done in the usual
way,
however.
There are one or two exterior walls in Cuzco
showing
a refinement
greater
than the
Temple
of the Sun. In these are found
joints
which are
horizontal and vertical to a close
approximation.
In these there is evidence
that a
great
deal of
thought
was
given
to the final
appearance. Quarrying
was done
very carefully.
Walls seem to have been built
up
one
complete
tier at a time. Individual stones were worked in as
before,
but
owing
to
superior quarrying methods,
the wear at corners seldom amounts to an
eighth
of an
inch,
there
being only enough
to show the method still in use.
As a tier was finished it is
probable
that its entire
upper
surface was
ground
flat and horizontal with
large
stones
dragged
or
pushed along
the
top.
Thus
successive
tiers
always
started from a smooth level
surface, making
horizontal,
continuous
joints.
Care was taken to finish the surface of each
stone,
but not the entire wall as a
unit,
as in the case of the
Temple
of the
Sun. The blankness of the wall is relieved
by making
each stone
slightly
convex,
and this also could be done
by grinding
in situ.
(See
Plate
6, B.)
There is much to show that the masons
expected
to handle these stones
a
great
deal. Plate
6,
C shows
large
stones with
projections
which
may
have been
larger
at the time of
building.
These were
evidently
for the use
of
slings
and
possibly
to facilitate the movement in
grinding.
Similar knobs
appear
in Plate
5,
A.
Any
worker with
optical glass
knows that in
grinding
one surface on
another the
upper
one becomes concave and the lower convex. It would
undoubtedly
come about in the
making
of walls
by
the above
process
that
240
[N. s., 36,
1934
AMNERICAN
ANTHROPOLOGIST,
N.
S.,
VOL. 36
A
C
B
Inca
masonry
at Cuzco.
[JESSUP]
PLATE 5
AMERICAN
ANTHROPOLOGIST,
N. S., VOL. 36
A
B
C
Inca
masonry
at Cuzco.
[JESSUP]
PLATE 6
JESSUP]
INCA MASONRY 241
the bottom surfaces of stones would become
slightly
concave and the
upper
surfaces convex to fit. This would
produce
a
slight interlocking
effect which
would add
greatly
to the
permanence
and
stability
of a structure. In cer-
tain cases
(eg.,
No.
4,
Plate
5, A)
the lateral surfaces
might
also
partake
of this
curvature,
and additional
strength
result. The writer has not seen
an
example
of such curvature in the walls. It would be of
great
interest to
examine the inner surfaces of some of the stones to
verify
this
hypothesis.
A
progressive improvement
in the construction and
especially
in the
quarrying
is noticeable. This follows
naturally
as one
generation
builds
on the
experience
of
another,
and the number of skilled
grinders increases,
so that some are transferred to
quarrying. Quarrying
is thus seen to
change
from an unskilled or semi-skilled labor to a task for skilled and
experienced
workmen.
ANN
ARBOR,
MICHIGAN