UJ #14 - Qhapac Ñan

LOOKING FOR THE LEGACY FAR FROM THE ASPHALT
LIMA’S INCA
HERITAGE
The 16 hectares of Huaycan de Cieneguilla’s builtup
area are divided into three zones that cannot
be visibly noted. To discern their actual scope,
one must climb to the lookout where the tours
start: the nuclear area, the most important one,
is divided into twelve architectural complexes
connected by six streets as a small city. It is easy
to imagine the people gathered on the main yard
just in the center of the complex, with a ramp that
enables important figures to access the platform,
a characteristic of the Ychsma buildings.
Walking by the narrow corridors of the place,
one can note the symbiosis between the Inca
and Ychsma architecture. Leaving its adobe
walls behind, one reaches the space known as
the ‘window complex’, with trapezoid spans and
stone lintels on the doors that are clearly Incan
construction elements. From that point, it is
possible to see the whole valley, reasserting the
connection with nature and the function of control
center this archaeological site used to have.
The decorated friezes are a typical Ychsma detail
and are associated with ceremonial or funeral
spaces. Circular bas-relief designs may be noted
in some areas which, according to the research,
could be interpreted as a lunar calendar or are
related to astronomic observations.
But without a doubt, the most important finding
is the tomb of a member of the Inca elite: the
quipukamayok. A wooden kero (a ceremonial
drinking vessel), a symbol of power; a spondylus
shell, one of the most valued materials during the
empire; and a group of bound quipus (recording
device), which show the status of this person, were
found together with the skeletal remains.
Qhapaq Ñan Project’s National Office
The square is
an example
of the
convergence
of the Ychsma
and Inca
cultures: a
large space
with a ramp
beside a
trapezoid door.
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