Quispiguanca

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Coordinates: 13°10′50″S 72°03′52″W / 13.1805°S 72.0645°W / -13.1805; -72.0645
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Quispiguanca, also Q'espihuanca and Q'espiwanka, was a royal estate of the Inca emperor Huayna Capac (c. 1464–1525 CE). The ruins of the estate are located in the northern part of the present-day town of Urubamba, Peru at an elevation of 2,910 metres (9,550 ft). 13°10′50″S 72°03′52″W / 13.1805°S 72.0645°W / -13.1805; -72.0645

Background

Huanya Capac

Inca emperors customarily acquired large royal estates to increase their power and wealth and that of their descendants who inherited the estates. Royal estates served as elegant country palaces and, at times, fortresses to fend off rivals for power.[1] The ruins of other royal estates, notably Huchuy Qosqo and Machu Picchu are scattered up and down the Urubamba or Yucay Valley, commonly called the Sacred Valley.

The Sacred Valley was a popular area for royal estates. It was within about 30 kilometres (19 mi) of the Inca capital of

Cuzco, but at lower elevations and with a warmer climate. Maize, the prestige crop of the Incas, could be grown in the Sacred Valley, whereas the climate nearer Cuzco was mostly too cold for maize cultivation. The Sacred Valley was also the closest route to reach the coca growing area in the lower Urubamba River valley. Water is abundant in the Sacred Valley due to precipitation in the snow-covered Andes which rise to elevations of more than 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) on the northern side of the narrow valley.[2]

The Royal Estate

The estate of Huanya Capac extended for 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) up and down the Sacred Valley. Four ethnic groups, the Pacos, Chichos, Cachis, and Chaocas, lived on the lands that became the royal estate, and continued to be employed as

andenes), irrigation canals, roads and bridges, ponds and parks, and constructing his palace at Quispiguanca, plus other secondary palaces.[3]

When finished the estate consisted mostly of extensive fields of maize,

Catholic nuns.[4]

Ruins of Quispiguanca

The town of Urubamba in 2004. The ruins are located at the lower left of this photo.

The site of Huanya Capac's palace of Quispiguanca consisted in the early 21st century of a modern cemetery and fields of

cilantro. The archaeological remains consist of a terrace, a well—preserved wall and gatehouses on the east side of the site and several structures in poor condition in the northern third of the site. Most of the construction is of fitted stonework, although some adobe and plaster were also used.[5]

The original palace compound was rectangular and measured within its walls 189 metres (620 ft) north-south and 125 metres (410 ft) east-west. A terrace about 4 metres (13 ft) in height leveled the area within the walls. The northernmost part of the compound consists of agricultural terraces and the stone foundation of a great hall, measuring 14 metres (46 ft) by 44 metres (144 ft). A similar great hall existed nearby, along with associated smaller buildings. The central part of the compound is a large open plaza, comprising the majority of the area of the site, with a large white rock near its center. The rock probably had religious significance, and a small Catholic chapel at the exact center of the plaza may overlay an Inca religious structure.[6]

Spanish rule

The

Tupac Amaru.[9]

The population of Quispiguanca declined rapidly during the Spanish period due to the ravages of European diseases and civil wars. In 1551, the population of the estate was 800 people, compared to 2,000 mitma families settled there during Huanya Capac's reign.[10]

References

  1. ^ McEwan, Gordon F. (2006) The Incas: New Perspectives, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., pp. 72–74; D'Altroy, Terence N. (2003), The Incas, Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 127–140, 285–286
  2. ^ Google Earth; Covey, R. Alan (2009), How the Incas built their Heartland, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, pp 43–44
  3. Project MUSE.; Niles, Susan A. (1988) "Looking for Lost Inca Palaces" Expedition Magazine, Vol 30, no. 3, https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/looking-for=lost-inca-palaces/
    , accessed 26 Jan 2017
  4. ^ Niles (1999), pp. 142–152
  5. ^ Niles (1999), p. 156
  6. ^ Niles (1999), pp. 166–173
  7. ^ Varon Gabal, Rafael (1997), Francisco Pizarro and his Brothers, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pp. 221–222
  8. ^ Niles, pp. 127–131
  9. ^ Thorton, John K. (2012), "A Cultural History of the Atlantic World, 1250–1820, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 174
  10. ^ Niles, p. 126

External links

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