The original site of the current museum was in a building donated
by Mrs. Anita Fernandini de Naranjo for the specific
purpose of being used as a museum, and continues its
present use for this purpose. It highlights the
characteristics of their natural environment and
cultural location.
This building was designed at the beginning of the 1960s' and apparently
was not completed and in operation as a museum until the
1970s’. Prior to the completion of the construction, the
museum was used according to the museum techniques of
that era, ie, with a contemplative vision emphasizing
the objects more than the collection itself. The
artifacts consisted of ceramics, stone, metal, skeletons
and replicas of some farming tools from different
cultures and eras Pre-Inca. Following the old
structure (suffering declines in coverage etc.) the use
of the building was changed unfortunately, as
repositories for materials and artifacts from the old
museum. Finally, a project to organize a museo-graphic screenplay
was essential to the functioning of the
final museum, offering a coherent proposal that could
give local and foreign visitors a response to their
information needs.
The museum is not a static institution, quite the
contrary; it expresses the dynamism of knowledge and
research in Machu Picchu, and it is why it is projected
to continue running in the future with plans of the
installation of interactive rooms, a library and others
exciting additions all with the intention of generating
sufficient resources to meet its own functional and
operational financial needs.
COLLECTIONS
The museum presents a collection of 250 original
objects between stone, metal, ceramic, bone and others;
a result of archaeological research in the recent
decades in the Inca City of Machu Picchu and the Inca
Trail. These findings have been the product of
archeological “digs” conducted by Cusquenian
researchers, and other professionals of Instituto
Nacional de Cultura de Cusco.
Within the collection, one of the many highlights is
the lithic artifacts used in the construction of the
Inca city. There are nails and rings embedded in astrals
and used for mooring the rafters made of straw, and in
the roofs of the precincts that were formed by one or
more inclined planes or tracks (depending on the type
and structure of buildings, were: one, two, four or
water). Likewise there are tools such as “percutores”
made from different types of rock: granite, andesite,
basalt, boulders and hematitas among others that were
used in construction work. The stones were carved in
such a way that “coincided” with each other, in some
cases, the construction involves a helical flat, ie a
plane that fits with a concave and convex alveoli carved
into the rock formations, and providing stability to the
building. The other blocks of stone set an example of
the integration with the environment and optimization of
the materials.
The buildings were adapted to the environment and are an example of the
utilization of relief as a design element and factored
in the location, orientation and urban scope.
At Machu Picchu, quarrying (as a specialized work) was
done by some of the people who had the experience and
knowledge learned that had been passes down by
tradition.
The use of
stone for miscellaneous objects were for everyday
purposes such as mortars, mortar hands, agricultural
tools, qupanas, axes and knives. As well
objects for hunting and military use, and others for
ceremonial purposes, such as bodies of water, mini
sculptures, “illas” and ornaments. Various types of
stones, both local and exotic, were modeled by
percussion lasqueado, by direct and indirect pressure
and finally polished.
The work
was performed using shale and sharp instruments and more
resistant materials, that scraped the surface until the
object was honed and polished. The discs of different
diameters were used as lids,
fusayolas as well as other things with simple and
small geometric shapes, circular, rectangular or
triangular. There were also mini sculptures of
zoomorphic forms that were probably used for ceremonial
functions.
The
schist was extracted from the veins of the lower
crags of the mountain of Machu Picchu (South-East of the
city, and other surrounding areas) and at the bottom of
Intipunku, metamorphic rock. Judging from its
availability and the recovery of artifacts in
preparation, most was worked locally in the city of
Machu Picchu.
In the city of Machu Picchu, the metal appears to have
been of a distinct type. The work on said metal appears
to have involved the specialized work of people under
the control and state organization. Machu Picchu is well
located for development of these activities due to its
location favored by air currents that were useful for
the performance of ovens or wayras, and the abundant
availability of fuel that would have been available. An
alloy closely linked to the Inca state was copper with
tin, called in the native language “hichasqa chakrusqa”.
The tin was a material extracted mainly from deposits of
cassiterite in the Northern Andes of Bolivia. More than
likely, in Machu Picchu, this alloy was melted and
transformed into objects and tools, replacing or
complementing perhaps the
arsenic that (until late stages of the Inca
state) was being used because of its increased
accessibility. As with other metals, the state
controlled the production of tin and therefore the
production of artifacts and copper alloy played an
important role in its distribution.
Among the collection of finds were pins, truncheon,
ornaments, mirrors, tweezers, needles, knives of silver,
copper and bronze. The baton bronze was an important
finding that helped in understanding the metallurgical
activities that took place in the city of Machu Picchu.
A workshop was located in the north sector. This
compound was found with a truncheon copper slag
amorphous, covered with coal and ash, forged in a mold
developed on the same surface of the clay floor.
Similarly, in the same compound they found pin copper,
associated with a metal ornament in the form of "qantu"
(Peruvian national flower). This finding suggests that
there was a differential in comparison with other
sectors and was being manufactured devices copper and
metal forging. Significantly, the type of manufacturing
and consistency of the objects had to be closely related
to its function.
The laminated metal was one of the first techniques
used by the Inca society. They used heat to achieve
better malleability and thus ensuring thinner sheets.
The Incas would use continuous blows with “percutores”
on a flat stone or anvil and put the metal within two
hides: It was a technique used to obtain plates that
would then cut, using flint knives and chisels of copper
and brass. This allowed them to manufacture objects like
bracelets, plates and mirrors. In the case of gold
bracelets, laminate was developed to be used as an
offering and in the construction of an artificial
platform, found in the plaza adjacent to the Fields of
the Condor. In the plaza, there were exposed ceramic
objects that were used for various daily activities; and
ceremonial uses as well.
THE FUNERAL IN MACHU PICCHU
While most cultures around the world believed in the
continuity of life after death, the Inca culture
believed there existed a new life after the previous
life. Proof of this is the paraphernalia that were
deposited next to the individuals, like everyday objects
that the deceased possessed and that he would be useful
in his new life: these included cooking pans, knives,
utensils and ceremonial objects consisting of clothing
and personal ornaments. Thus, we are talking about a
different conception of the nature of death where, which
reproduced models of life similar to those already
known.
The funeral rituals in Machu Picchu involved food and
festivities. Wrapped food and drink were carried around
the periphery of entry and burial caves. Samples of what
were in the jars (to eat and drink) have been found
around the contexts. It should be noted that the dead
Inca ancestors were the subject of veneration, as they
contributed to good harvests, the procreation of animals
and the good performance of communities.
)
