Qorikancha trapezoidal door
Qorikancha trapezoidal door
The trapezoidal door shown in the image is part of the Qorikancha ruins located inside the Convent of Santo Domingo in Cuzco, Peru.
The Inca buildings have trapezoidal-shaped doors, windows, and niches on the wall. As you can see from the image, the trapezoidal-shaped construction has the narrow side on the top and wide side at the bottom, which is an ingenious way of making the building stable. Besides, trapezoidal shapes are aesthetically pleasing.
Qorikancha, which means golden compound in Quechua, was a magnificent Inca temple dedicated to Inti, the sun god. It was rebuilt by Pachacuti, a powerful Inca Emperor who was also known for rebuilding the city of Cuzco.
The walls of the temple were made of finely polished, precisely cut and perfectly fitting stones and were covered with sheets of gold. The Qorikancha was also the home for the Inca royal mummies, some of which were believed to be the mummies of former Sapa Incas. In the niches, there were golden statues of huacas (sacred objects)and emeralds.
When the Spanish saw Qorikancha, they were awestruck by its beauty and opulence, and yet they plundered the treasure and destroyed the royal mummies. Because the Qorikancha structure being very strong, they were unable to destroy it entirely. They left remaining part of the temple as is and built the Convent of Santo Domingo on top of the ruins.
Related Pages
– Inca Civilization, Ancient Cultures of Peru, Cusco
– Lima, Machu Picchu, Peru
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