A Study of Inca Stone

In addition to my other photo galleries of Peru, I created this one specifically for close-up images of Inca stonework. From the ever-wonderful Wikipedia, we have this explanation of Inca architecture and stone construction:

Inca architecture is widely known for its fine masonry, which features precisely cut and shaped stones closely fitted without mortar (“dry”). However, despite this fame, most Inca buildings were actually made out of fieldstone and adobe as described above. More precise fitting masonry was more commonly featured on higher status buildings, such as palaces and temples. In the 1940s, American archaeologist John H. Rowe classified Inca fine masonry in two types: coursed, which features rectangular shaped stones, and polygonal, which features blocks of irregular shape. In the 1980s, Peruvian architect Santiago Agurto established four subtypes by dividing categories previously identified by Rowe:

• Cellular polygonal masonry: small blocks of cut and dressed stone worked to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular.
• AshlarAshlarAshlar (/ˈæʃlər/) is a term used to describe cut and dressed stone worked to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular; a structure built from such stones; and the look created by the dressing technique. Ashlar stone may be dry laid or bedded in mortar. The dry ashlar of Inca architecture in Cusco and Machu Picchu is particularly fine and famous. polygonal masonry: Very large cut and dressed stone worked to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular.
• Encased coursed masonry: rough cut or natural stone in which stone blocks are not aligned.
• Sedimentary coursed masonry: rough cut or natural stone in which stones are laid out in horizontal rows (i.e., ashlars).

The first two types were used on important buildings or perimeter walls while the last two were employed mostly on terrace walls and river canalization.

In my photo study, I show examples of all four styles of stonework. These images are from Cusco, the Sacred Valley region of Peru, and Machu Picchu, in the Andes Mountains.

Images of Inca Stonework

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Related Pages

• There and Back Again to Peru – My travelogue of our two-week adventures in the magical country of Peru
• A Study of Stonehenge – Another of my photo studies of an ancient stone construction.