|
 The
Inka's Qosqo City: When this ancient city was the
Tawantinsuyo's Capital it also must have been the biggest and most
important metropolis of the continent (without chauvinism, neither
willing to remove value of some other pre-Columbian cities in
America). There are opposing discrepancies about the city's
population during its apogee; they arose because of the very
superficial and imaginary existing data given by the first
chroniclers, and because today it is difficult to measure the
demographic concentration existing by that time. Pedro Sancho de la
Hoz, a Spanish soldier who acted as Pizarro's secretary, wrote in
1543 that in the city were found more than 100,000 houses. Victor
Angles, by deduction based on some chronicles, states categorically
that the population was 300,000 inhabitants. Besides, Santiago
Agurto following relative population densities estimates about
126,000 persons for the urban zone and about 100,000 for the rural
one, that is, a total population for the Tawantinsuyo's Capital of
about 225,000 inhabitants.
The city must have been very well organized
according to the classic Inkan City Planning. Its narrow and
normally straight streets were properly paved with cobblestones and
with channels in the middle or at one side of them conducting clean
water that was consumed by the population. The walls of its
buildings were made with carved stones, at least in the downtown
area, and in the suburbs with mud-brick or "pirka" type walls but
lined with painted stucco or plaster made of clay. Its roofs were
thatched and very steep. The homes had a considerable scarcity of
openings as doorways or windows in order to enable interior heating
in cold seasons. In short, it was a pleasant organized city, and
without any pollution.
The ancient Inkan Metropolis was
divided into two great sectors from a line formed by the roads
leading towards the Antisuyo and Contisuyo, that is, the present-day
streets of Triunfo, Hatun Rumiyoq, Cuesta San Blas, and on the other
end the streets of Marquez, Santa Clara and Hospital. These two
sectors were: towards the north, the Hanan Qosqo, modified form of
"Hawan Qosqo" ("Upper Qosqo"), inhabited by the dynasty since the
sixth Inkan ruler Inka Roqa. Towards the south was the Urin Qosqo
which is a modified form of "Uran Qosqo" ("Lower Qosqo"); preferred
since the founder of the Tawantinsuyo, Manko Qhapaq until the fifth
ruler Qhapaq Yupanqui.
Chroniclers state, more over, that the city was
divided in different districts that according to Garcilaso Inca de
la Vega were 13. Starting on the north and clockwise they were:
Qolqanpata or "Storehouses District" present quarter of San
Cristobal; Kantupata or "Kantu Flowers District" (today "Kantu"
-Cantua buxifolia- is the Peruvian national flower); Pumakurko, or
the "Puma's Spinal Column", the main street of this district still
keeps its original name; T'oqokachi or "Hollow Salt", that today is
located in the San Blas quarter; Munay Senqa or district of the
"Pretty Nose" located in present-day Recoleta; Rimaq Panpa or
"Speaking Plaza", present Limaqpampa square; Pumaq Chupan or "Puma's
Tail", located in the area of present-day fountain in front of the
Savoy hotel; K'ayao Cachi o "Salt Formation" in the present district
of Qoripata; Ch'akill Chaka corresponding to the present-day
neighborhoods of Santiago and Belen; Piqchu that means "summit or
mountain" still keeps its name; K'illipata or "Kestrel District"
(k'illichu = Kestrel -sparrow hawk-) located before Piqchu; Karmenqa
present district of Santa Ana; Wakapunku or "Temple Doorway",
present-day Saphi street. Nevertheless, Cusquenian scholar Manuel
Chávez Ballón states that there were 12 districts, suppressing
Pumakurko and K'illipata but adding Qoripata, and that they were
distributed in groups of 3 following the four Suyos or quarters.
It is evident that city life in
ancient Qosqo elapsed around its great Plaza that was found in its
present location but which territory was cut off by its middle in
colonial times. It is known that this huge Plaza was divided into
two sectors by the Saphi ("Root") River that flowed channeled and
covered by the middle of it. One of those sectors, before the
today's Cathedral, was assigned for the most important political and
religious ceremonies of the Tawantinsuyo. However, there is
controversy about this sector's name; many chroniclers indicate that
its original name was Haukaypata that would mean "Ceremonial
Sector", but tradition and some scholars state that it originally
was Wakaypata (Weeping Sector). The other half of the Plaza was the
Kusipata (Cheer Sector), because after the great ceremonies, the
population was concentrated in this Plaza's sector in order to carry
out their parties, to eat and drink. This great Plaza was paved in
different segments with flagstones, and mainly covered with sea sand
that enabled its use in the rainy season. By the center of those two
sectors there was a special high platform known as Usnu from which
the Inka, the priests or other officials could address their people.
The most important buildings were
concentrated around the great Plaza, they were mainly palaces of
some of the Inkan Society's Rulers. Among them stood out the Inka
Pachakuteq's palace known as Qasana towards the plaza's northeast
forming the corner with present-day Plateros Street. Towards the
north of the previous was the palace of Inka Roqa named Qoraqora.
Inka Wiraqocha's palace Kiswar Kancha was in the spot where today is
the Cathedral. In front of that palace there was a Suntur Wasi, a
building that had a cylindrical shape with conical roofing and
served as arms and emblems house. The Hatun Kancha palace belonging
to Inka Yupanqui was to the east of the previous. The Ajlla Wasi or
Virgins of the Sun's House was on the northeast side of the
present-day Compañia de Jesus church. The Amaru Kancha was the
palace of Wayna Qhapaq occupied by the today's Compañia de Jesus
Church, surrounded by present-day Ave. Sol, Afligidos and Loreto
streets. In front of this last palace there was another Suntur Wasi
too. Even more, in the downtown area of the city there were some
other palaces such as the Pukamarka that was palace of Tupaq Inka
Yupanqui, which magnificent walls are still seen in present-day
Maruri Street and it was also surrounded by the present streets of
San Agustin, Santa Catalina Ancha and Arequipa. Another was the
palace of Hatunrumiyoq (it is a modern name because over here, in
the green diorite wall is the famous twelve angled stone, its
original name is unknown) that belonged to Inka Roqa but today is
Archbishop's palace. The Qollqanpata palace was located in the
present San Cristobal parish and was supposed to be property of the
first Inka Manko Qhapaq.
Every palace occupied a broad
territory, almost always a whole block, and must have sheltered the
Inka's Panaka, that is, his whole extended family (ancestors,
descendants and some other relatives). Around the Kusipata Square
there were no palaces yet, but the lots were already walled in and
prepared for future buildings. Over here, also, every 5 days the
Qhatu (market) was carried out, it was performed based on bartering
of goods, and according to Martin de Murua with the attendance of
about one hundred thousand people.
History, tradition
and reality indicate that Inkan Qosqo City in its downtown section
had the shape of a Puma or Mountain Lion (Felis concolor), a feline
considered as special deity among the Quechuas. As evidence of this,
the name of Pumakurko Street is kept, "pumakurko" means and
represents the "Puma's Spinal Column"; the district of Pumaqchupan
or "Puma's Tail" is on the joint of the Saphi ("Root") and Tullumayu
("Bone River" or "Thin River") Rivers; the location of that joint is
in front of the present-day Savoy Hotel. Today they are channeled
and covered. Besides, the head was located in Saqsaywaman that would
derive from " saqsa uma" (saqsa uman?) or "marbled (speckled,
veined) head" as a consequence of its duty in the city's shape.
According to tradition the shape was that of a puma (cougar or
mountain lion) squatted or crouched over the Saphi River.
|
