The Incas built the best
planned cities in the ancient Americas. The
Incas laid out their cities in a grid. Each city had a central plaza.
That plaza was surrounded by public buildings and temples. A palace
was built for visiting Sapa
Incas. There was housing for priests and nobles. Houses were even
built for the common
people.
Most Incan cities did
not have walls around them. Instead, the Incas
built large stone fortresses near or beside their cities. In times of
danger, people could run inside the fortress for protection. The rest
of the time, the fortress housed some of the military. The military
checked everyone coming in or out of the cities. The cities were very
safe.
The Incas build
beautiful cities. They liked
their buildings to match the surrounding landscape. They used well-cut
stone. The Incas were master builders. Buildings were constructed to
last, and to survive natural disasters like earthquakes. Doorways and
window niches sloped inwards slightly at the top. Roofs were also
slanted. Incan buildings are amazing structures.
The architecture was
formal yet simple. The Incas
loved things made of gold and silver. But they also liked things to be
simple. The outside doors leading in to their homes were often highly
decorated. Inside, they had simple paintings on the walls and solid
gold decorations throughout their homes.
