Continuing with the topic of the 16th century chronicles
of Latin America, this entry focuses on an interesting description on the
construction of bridges in the Pre-Columbian Tawantinsuyu. The writer is
José de Acosta, a Jesuit from Medina del Campo, Valladolid in northern Spain (born
1539/40). His book on the Americas, Natural
and Moral History of The Indies was published in Seville in 1590, an later
translated into English in 1604. His work is written in a clear style, but
shows many xenophobic and narrow-minded attitudes towards the Incas (and even
against Muslims, as the footnotes will show) which became apparent during the
translation of the text, which makes the work a dissonant and uncomfortable
read in the 21st century considering how Peruvian culture has soared
in the last century, with a booming tourism industry in this century. Even so, the
fragment that follows is at least interesting in that it provides detailed information
on how the Inca constructed straw bridges, mentioning the materials and
techniques employed.
José de Acosta, Natural and Moral history of The Indies
“On
the buildings and order of the Inca’s constructions
The
buildings and constructions that the Incas made with their fortresses, temples,
pathways, country houses and other [houses] were many and of excessive labour,
as the ruins and fragments that have remained bear witness to, like the ones
that are to be seen in Cuzco, and Tiawanaco and Tambo, and in other places,
where there are stones of immense size, which one cannot fathom as to how they
were carved and transported and ended up where they are.
For
all of these buildings and fortresses that the Inca ordered to be built in
Cuzco and in various parts of his kingdom, he made use of a large number of the
provinces, as the labour is odd and is worthy of fright. They do not employ
mortar nor
do they have iron nor steel to cut and work the stones, nor machines nor
instruments
to transport them, and in spite of all that they are so beautifully worked, that
in many places one can hardly note the gap between one stone to the next; and
some of these stones are so large, as has been said, that it would be an unbelievable
thing if one hadn’t seen it. In Tiawanaco, I myself measured one thirty eight
foot long and eighteen feet across, with a thickness of around six feet, and in
the wall of the fortress in Cuzco, which is masonry, there are stones of much
greater magnitude. And what is most worthy of admiration is that, these stones
from the fortress which I refer to, having not been carved with a measuring
ruler, but rather being in and of themselves quite unequal in size and faction they
slot together, one piece to the next with incredible unity without cement.
All
of this was done through the force of many people and with great suffering in
the working of it, for in order for one stone to slot in to another (depending
on the form they are in), it was a labour to try one stone out many times, the
majority of them being neither equal nor flat. The amount of people needed to
be present to work the stones and the buildings was made known by the Inca each
year, the distribution of which, as with other things, was carried out by the
Indians among themselves, without anyone being taxed for it; but although these
buildings were large, usually they were badly structured and useless,
essentially like mosques or barbaric
buildings. They didn’t know how to construct arches in their buildings, nor did
they develop a mortar for them. When
at the river Jauja, they saw the arches being formed using a centering, and
after the bridge was made, they saw the centering collapse, they fled,
believing that the entire bridge was to fall down, which was a work of stonemasonry.
When they saw it hold firm and then the Spaniards walk across it, the cacique
said to his comrades: “Just as well we serve
them, for they resemble Sons of the Sun”.
The
bridges that they used were made of weaved liana or rush, and with thick rope rooted
into the banks, for they did not make bridges from stone or wood. The one that is
found in the duct of the great lagoon in Chucuito, Collao,
is worthy of admiration, because said channel is of such a depth, that one
could not lay cement on it; and is so wide, that it is not possible to make an
arch that would support it, nor pass it through a spandrel, and for all that,
it was impossible to make a bridge from stone or wood. The ingenuity and
industry of the Indians found a way to make very secure and steady bridges, being
made of just straw, which seems like a fable but it is true. Because as was said
in another chapter, that from a some rushes or bulrushes that the lagoon bears,
which they call totora,
they make some bundles and knots out of it, and since it is a very light
material, it doesn’t sink down; and to this they add a lot of sedge, and having
those bundles or rafts very well tied from one side of the river to the other,
men and beasts of burden cross it, without very much hindrance. Having crossed
this bridge a few times, I was amazed at the skill of the Indians, for with such
a simple material they outdo the best and most secure bridge, which is the pontoon bridge from Seville to Triana. I
also measured the length of the bridge, and If I remember rightly, it would be
around three hundred feet or so. They say that the depth of said duct is
immense; from above the water does not appear to move, they say that it carries
a most furious current. This will suffice regarding the buildings”.
[texto original]
José de Acosta, Historia
natural y moral de las indias
De los edificios y orden de
fábricas de los incas
Los edificios y fábricas que los
incas hicieron en fortalezas, en templos en caminos, en casas de campo y otras,
fueron muchos y de excesivo trabajo, como lo manifiestan el día de hoy las
ruinas y pedazos que han quedado, como se ven en el Cuzco, y en Tiawanaco y
en Tambo, y en otras partes, donde hay piedras de inmensa grandeza, que no se
puede pensar cómo se cortaron y trajeron, y asentaron donde están.
Para todos estos edificios y
fortalezas que el Inca mandaba hacer en el Cuzco y en diversas partes de su reino,
acudía grandísimo número de todas las provincias, porque la labor es extraña y
para espantar; y no usaban de mezcla ni tenían hierro ni acero para cortar y
labrar las piedras, ni máquinas ni instrumentos para traerlas, y
con todo eso están tan pulidamente labradas, que en muchas partes apenas se ve
la juntura de unas con otras; y son tan grandes muchas piedras de estas, como
está dicho, que sería cosa increíble si no se viese. En Tiawanaco, medí yo una
de treinta y ocho pies de largo y de diez y ocho en ancho, y el grueso sería de
seis pies, y en la muralla de la fortaleza del Cuzco, que está de mampostería,
hay muchas piedras de mucho mayor. grandeza. Y lo que más admira es que no
siendo cortadas estas que digo de la muralla, por regla, sino entre sí muy
desiguales en el tamaño y en la facción,
encajan unas con otras con increíble juntura sin mezcla.
Todo esto se hacía a poder de
mucha gente y con gran sufrimiento en el labrar, porque para encajar una
piedra con otra, según están ajustadas, era forzoso probarla muchas
veces, no estando las más de ellas iguales ni
llenas. El número que había de acudir de gente para labrar piedras y edificios,
el Inca lo señalaba cada año; la distribución, como las demás cosas, hacían los
indios entre sí, sin que nadie se agraviase; pero aunque eran grandes estos
edificios, comúnmente estaban
mal repartidos y aprovechados, propriamente como mezquitas o edificios de
bárbaros. Arco en sus edificios no le supieron hacer, ni alcanzaron mezcla para
ello. Cuando en el río de Jauja,
vieron formar los arcos de cimbrias,
y después de hecha la puente, vieron derribar las cimbrias, echaron a huir,
entendiendo que se había de caer luego toda la puente, que es de cantería. Como
la vieron quedar firme y a los españoles andar por encima, dijo el cacique a
sus compañeros: "razón es servir a
éstos, que bien parecen hijos del sol".
Las puentes que usaban eran de
bejucoso
juncos tejidos, y con recias maromas asidos a las riberas, porque de piedra ni
de madera no hacían puentes. La que hoy día hay en el desaguadero de la gran
laguna de Chicuito,
en el Collao, pone admiración, porque es hondísimo aquel brazo,
sin que se pueda echar en él, cimiento alguno; y es tan ancho, que no es
posible haber arco que le tome, ni pasarse por un ojo,
y así del todo era imposible hacer puente de piedra ni de madera. El ingenio e
industria de los indios, halló cómo hacer puente muy firme y muy segura, siendo
sólo de paja, que parece fábula y es verdad. Porque como se dijo en otro libro,
de unos juncos o espadañas que cría la laguna, que ellos llaman totora,
hacen unos como manojos, atados, y como es materia muy liviana, no se hunden;
encima de éstos echan mucha juncia, y teniendo aquellos manojos o balsas muy
bien amarrados de una parte y de otra del río, pasan hombres y bestias
cargadas, muy a placer.
Pasando algunas veces esta
puente, me maravillé del artificio de los indios, pues con cosa tan fácil hacen
mejor y más segura puente, que es la de barcos de Sevilla a Triana. Medí
también el largo de la puente, y si bien me acuerdo, serán trescientos y tantos
pies. La profundidad de aquel desaguadero dicen que es inmensa; por encima no
parece que se mueve el agua; por abajo, dicen que lleva furiosísima corriente.
Esto baste de edificios».
—José de Acosta, Historia natural y moral de las indias,
1590.
Appendix: from the first English translation (1604)
by Edward Grimeston, who appears to have been one of the earliest hispanists in the English language and was a prolific translator. I found this online shortly after
publishing. Fascinating. I won’t edit this or comment on its syntax, I just
wanted to merely present the text as a linguistic curio, it’s pure
Shakespearean English; this is how an English speaker would have first read about
Perú and Latin America in the early 1600’s. Again, just fascinating.
«Of
the Edifices and maner of building of the Inguas CHAP. 14.
The
Edifices and Buildings which the Inguas made in temples, fortresses, waies,
countrie houses, and such like, were many in number, and of an excessive
labour, as doth appeare at this day by their ruines and remainders, both in
Cusco, Tyaguanaco, Tambo, and other places, where there are stones of an vnmeasurable
greatnes: so as men cannot conceive how they were cut, brought, and set in
their places. There came great numbers of people from all Provinces, to worke
in these buildings and fortresses, which the Ingua caused to be made in Cusco,
or other partes of the Realme. As these workes were strange, and to amaze the
beholders, wherein they vsed no morter nor ciment, neither any yron, or steele,
to cut, and set the stones in worke. They had no engines or other instruments
to carrie them, and yet were they so artificially wrought, that in many places
they could not see the ioyntes: and many of these stones are so big, that it
were an incredible thing, if one should not see them. At Tiaguanaco, I did
measure a stone of thirty eight foote long, of eighteene broade, and six
thicke. And in the wall of the fortresse of Cusco, which is of Moallon, there
are stones of a geater bignes. And that which is most strange, these stones
being not cut nor squared to ioyne, but contrariwise, very vnequall one with
another in forme and greatnes, yet did they ioyne them together without ciment,
after an incredible maner. All this was done by the force of men, who endured
their labour with an invincible patience. For to ioyne one stone with an other,
they were forced to handle and trie many of them often, being vneven. The Ingua
appoynted every yeare what numbers of people should labour in these stones and
buildings, and the Indians made a division amongest them, as of other things,
so as no man was oppressed. Although these buildings were great, yet were they
commonly ill appoynted and vnfit, almost like to the Mosquites or buildings of
the Barbarians.
They
could make no arches in their edifices, no morter or cyment to builde them
withall: when they saw arches of wood built vpon the river of Xaura, the bridge
being finished, and the wood broken downe, they all beganne to runne away,
supposing that the bridge which was of stone should presently fall; but when
they found it to stand firme, and that the Spaniards went on it, the Cacique
saide to his companions; It is reason we should serve these men, who in trueth
seeme to be the children of the Sunne. The bridges they made were of reedes
plaited, which they tied to the bankes with great stakes, for that they could
not make any bridges of stone or wood. The bridge which is at this day vpon the
current of the great lake Chiquitto in Collao is admirable, for the course of
that water is so deep, as they can not settle any foundation, and so broade,
that it is impossible to make an arch to passe it: so as it was altogether
impossible to make a bridge eyther of wood or stone. But the wit and industry
of the Indians invented a meanes to make a firme and assured bridge, being only
of strawe, which seemeth fabulous, yet is it very true: For as we have said
before, they did binde together certaine bundles of reedes, and weedes, which
do grow in the lake that they call Torora, and being a light matter that sinkes
not in the water, they cast it vppon a great quantity of reedes, then having
tyed those bundles of weedes to either side of the river, both men and beasts
goe over it with ease: passing over this bridge I have woondered, that of so
common and easie a thing, they had made a bridge, better, and more assured than
the bridge of boates from Seville to Triane. I have measured the length of this
bridge, and as I remember, it was above three hundred foote; and they say that
the depth of this current is very great: and it seemes above, that the water
hath no motion, yet they say, that at the bottome it hath a violent and very
furious course. And this shall suffice for buildings».
