Architecture and Power in the Ancient Andes: The Archaeology of Public Buildings

271 Pages·1996·39.34 MB·English

by  Jerry D. Moore

In this innovative volume, Jerry D. Moore discusses public architec-
ture in the context of the cultural, political, and religious life of the pre-
hispanic Andes. Archaeologists have invested enormous effort in
excavating and documenting prehistoric buildings, but analytical
approaches to architecture remain as yet underdeveloped. Architecture
and Power in the Ancient Andes uses new analytical methods to
approach architecture and its relationship to Andean society, explor-
ing three themes in particular: the architecture of monuments, the
architecture of ritual, and the architecture of social control. It provides
both a methodology for the study of public architecture and an
example of how that methodology can be applied. The author's clear
and richly illustrated discussion represents an original perspective on
architecture and its role in ritual, ideology, and power in the ancient
world.

NEW STUDIES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
Architecture and power in the Ancient Andes
The archaeology of public buildings
NEW STUDIES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
Series editors
Clive Gamble, University of Southampton
Colin Renfrew, University of Cambridge
Jeremy Sabloff, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology
Archaeology has made enormous advances recently, both in the volume of discoveries and in
its character as an intellectual discipline: new techniques have helped to further the range and
rigour of inquiry, and encouraged inter-disciplinary communication.
The aim of this series is to make available to a wider audience the results of these develop-
ments. The coverage is worldwide and extends from the earliest hunting and gathering
societies to historical archaeology.
For a list of titles in the series please see the end of the book.
JERRY D. MOORE
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Architecture and power
in the Ancient Andes
The archaeology of public buildings
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521553636
© Cambridge University Press 1996
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1996
This digitally printed first paperback version 2005
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
Moore, Jerry D.
Architecture and power in the ancient Andes: the archaeology of
public buildings / Jerry D. Moore
p. cm. - (New studies in archaeology)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0 521 55363 6 (he)
I. Indian architecture —Andes Region. 2. Indians of South
America —Andes Region — Politics and government. 3. Indians of South
America - Andes Region - Rites and ceremonies. 4. Andes Region -
Antiquities. I. Title. II. Series.
F2230.I.A5M66 1996
720'.98-dc20 95-44357 CIP
ISBN-13 978-0-521-55363-6 hardback
ISBN-10 0-521-55363-6 hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-67563-5 paperback
ISBN-10 0-521-67563-4 paperback
CONTENTS
List of figures page vm
List of tables xi
Acknowledgments xn
1 The contemplation of ruins: archaeological approaches to
architecture i
2 A sample of ancient Andean architecture: a critical description 19
3 The architecture of monuments 92
4 The architecture of ritual 121
5 The architecture of social control: theory, myth, and method 168
6 Summary and implications 220
References 229
Index 255
VII
FIGURES
2.1 Locations of sites discussed in text page 20
2.2 Plan of public structure, Los Gavilanes 23
2.3 Huaynuna: (A) plan of hillside structure; (B) plan of structure with
hearth; (C) schematic site plan 24
2.4 Ritual chamber, Huaricoto 25
2.5 Site plan of La Galgada 27
2.6 Plan of Huaca de los Idolos, Aspero 29
2.7 Plan of Unit I, El Paraiso 31
2.8 Site plan of Cardal 33
2.9 Site plan of Garagay 35
2.10 Site plan of Salinas de Chao 37
2.11 Hypothetical reconstruction of two building phases, Salinas de Chao 37
2.12 Schematic site plan of Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke 40
2.13 Plan of Huaca Moxeke 41
2.14 Plan of Huaca A, Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke 42
2.15 Plan and elevation of Las Aldas 45
2.16 Schematic site plan of Sechin Alto 47
2.17 Plan of Central Temple, Cerro Sechin 49
2.18 Plan of Old Temple, Chavin de Huantar 52
2.19 Site plan of Moche 53
2.20 Schematic plan of Huaca del Sol 55
2.21 Plan of Huaca de la Luna 56
2.22 Site plan of Pampa Grande 57
2.23 Plan of Huaca Grande 59
2.24 Plan of Room Complex, Huaca Grande 60
2.25 Site plan of Galindo 61
2.26 Plans of Platform A and Cercaduras A, B, and C, Galindo 62
2.27 Site plan of Pacatnamu 64
2.28 Plan of Huaca 1 Complex, Pacatnamu 67
2.29 Schematic plan of Chan Chan 69
2.30 Plan of Ciudadela Chayhuac, Chan Chan 72
2.31 Plan of Ciudadela Uhle, Chan Chan 74
2.32 Plan of Ciudadela Tello, Chan Chan 75
2.33 Plan of Ciudadela Laberinto, Chan Chan 76
2.34 Plan of Ciudadela Gran Chimu, Chan Chan 78
VIII
List of figures IX
2.35 Plan of Ciudadela Squier, Chan Chan 79
2.36 Plan of Ciudadela Velarde, Chan Chan 80
2.37 Plan of Ciudadela Bandelier, Chan Chan 82
2.38 Plan of Ciudadela Rivero, Chan Chan 83
2.39 Plan of Ciudadela Tschudi, Chan Chan 84
2.40 Plan of Compound II, Farfan 87
2.41 Plan of Manchan 89
3.1 Changing volumes of Egyptian pyramid construction, Old Kingdom 96
3.2 Angles of vision and ranges of perception 99
3.3 Normal lines of sight when standing 99
3.4 Changing fields of view at varying isovistas 100
3.5 Obstructed viewsheds 1 o 1
3.6 Angles of incidence 105
3.7 Idealized example of unobstructed isovistas 106
3.8 Idealized example of obstructed isovistas 107
3.9 Histogram of angles of incidence 109
3.10 Isovistas for North Mound, La Galgada no
3.n Isovistas for Las Aldas in
3.12 Isovistas for Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke 112
3.13 Isovistas for Sechin Alto 112
3.14 Isovistas for Garagay 113
3.15 Isovistas for Cardal 114
3.16 Isovistas for Huaca Grande, Pampa Grande 115
3.17 Isovistas for Huaca del Sol, Moche 116
3.18 Isovistas for the Chan Chan huacas 117
3.19 Isovistas for Huaca 1, Pacatnamu 118
3.20 Isovistas for the Manchan huacas 119
4.1 Participants and observers at Inti Raymi celebration, Sacsahuaman,
Cuzco, June 1984 153
4.2 Hypothetical reconstruction of Garagay 157
4.3 Limits of perception for different media at Garagay 158
4.4 Schematic profile of Central Mound, Cardal 159
4.5 Schematic plan and cross-section of Las Aldas, showing vision fields
at 18, 27 and 45 degrees 161
4.6 Schematic plan and cross-section of Cardal, showing vision fields
at 18, 27 and 45 degrees 162
5.1 The Critchef Panopticon, 1787, section, elevation, and half-plan 169
5.2 Access patterns for two three-room plans 185
5.3 Qualitative properties of access patterns 185
5.4 Maximum and minimum slopes for edges and vertices in a network 186
5.5 Route maps for two three-room plans 188
5.6 Access pattern for Huaca Grande, Pampa Grande 189
5.7 Access patterns for Cercaduras A, B, and C, Galindo 190
5.8 Access pattern for Ciudadela Chayhuac, Chan Chan 190