ARKY 357 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Mnemonic, Pastoralism, Planned Community
8 May 2018
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o Similar practices with the Aztec
• Pastoralism
o Lilama and Alpac were kept by commoners and also state the Sun flocks
o Important for food clothing sacrifices transport and general wealth
• Quipu/ Khipu
o Inca culture
o It is a system of different color of strings involving different types of knots used as a
mnemonic device
o But they still need to be deciphered
o Inca artisans mostly use them
o Specializes production of textiles, metallurgy, ceramics. Architecture
o Artisans found it very useful and creative
▪ Worked for patrons and especially the state or the temple
▪ Production for tribute that could be redistributed to seal political alliances
▪ Artisans worked to fulfill the tribute obligations but some specialists were full-
time
• Textile Production
o Used cotton and camel lid hair
o Both females and males wove depending on the cultural groups
o Specialized female weavers for state/sun textiles mamakuna and aqllakuna
• Inca Cuzco
o Centre of power for the Tawantinsuyu empire
o Population of 100 – 150,000 in the area that they surrounded
o It was a design city, based off if the empire design in clay
o Largely an administrative and service support
o Designed by Pachakuti with demolition of previous architecture to create a planned
community
o Designed to represent a Puma (Cuzco)
o The major buildings were found in the middle of the space
o There are various theories on why they would do this,
▪ It is a way of creating an axis mundi
o Navel of the universe
• Inca Cuzco
o Located about 3500 m above the sea level
o Considered the symbolic navel of the empire
o Street plan with two major avenues intersected by size other streets
o Stone paving and narrow with central canals from drainage and sewage
o Too narrow for more than one horseman at a time
o It was not a pure grid center, there were angles present of the street
o Degree of civil control and engineering
• Inca Cuzco street
o Extremely fine stone working to form these walls
• Central plazas
o Awkaypata or terrace of repose for major ceremonies (190 x 165m )
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