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.
