What made Inca architecture unique?

Inca architecture is the most significant pre-Columbian architecture in South America. The Incas inherited an architectural legacy from Tiwanaku, founded in the 2nd century B.C.E. in present-day Bolivia. A core characteristic of the architectural style was to use the topography and existing materials of the land as part of the design.

The capital of the Inca empire, Cuzco, still contains many fine examples of Inca architecture. The famous royal estate of Machu Picchu (Machu Pikchu) is a surviving example of Inca architecture.

Inca architecture is widely known for its fine masonry, which features precisely cut and shaped stones closely fitted without mortar ("dry").

Inca architecture is strongly characterized by its use of the natural environment. The Inca managed to seamlessly merge their architecture into the surrounding land and its specificities. At its peak, the Inca Empire spanned from Ecuador to Chile. Yet despite geographic variances, Inca architecture remained consistent in its ability to visually blend the built and natural environment.

In particular, Inca walls practiced mortarless masonry and used partially worked, irregularly shaped rocks to complement the organic qualities and diversity of the natural environment. Through the dry-fitted masonry techniques of caninacukpirca, the Incas shaped their stone to conceal natural outcrops, fit tight crevices, and ultimately incorporate the landscape into their infrastructure.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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27 Comments

Denise Currie

I often visit really old building, churches, cathedrals and monuments and marvel at the way they were built without the modern construction equipment we have today. Massive cathedrals with no cranes to lift huge block of masonary, precisely cut stones, the ones with the whalebone style archways all the way down. It just boggles my mind.

Pat Myers Dale

When I was visiting Machu Picchu I was amazed at how straight all the wall were. I cannot imagine how they got those precisely shaped stones up to that location. It is an awe inspiring place. Magical.

Sybilla

Thank you for a very clear explanation of Inca architecture. The pre-Incan Andean civilisations such as the Wari and Tiwanaku have yet to give up all their secrets.

Matthew Roen

Mortarless joints in NOT unique. The pyramids of Egypt were made without mortar, as are the pyramids of other cultures as well.

Leda Beck

Please, get your facts right. The Inca Empire extended all the way to Argentina (search "The Inca Way" on Google, and you will find the roads of the empire). Secondly, using "the topography and existing materials of the land as part of the design" is a characteristic of ANY ancient architecture, even Medieval or Aboriginal villages! Fitting stones without mortar can also be seen not only in Egyptian pyramids but even in pre-historic monuments such as Stonehenge. This answer spreads so much disinformation that it saddens me. :(