Monuments of the Incas
by John Hemming, Edward Ranney
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Book Summary Information
Author: Edward Ranney, John HemmingEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1990-08
ISBN: 0826312160
Number of pages: 228
Publisher: Univ of New Mexico Pr
Book Reviews of Monuments of the Incas
Book Review: A Valuable Book for Various Reasons
Summary: 5 Stars
Consider the following:
--In the 1990s, my mother was an Earthwatch volunteer on three different Incan projects. On the recommended reading list for each was this book.
--In 2006, my Peruvian guide said she had been tempted to give me a nudge as I leaned over a Machu Picchu guardrail to snap a picture. "Hand me this book again only when we're on flat ground," she advised, only partly in jest.
--In the two years I've been tracking it, rarely have I seen a used copy of the paperback for under $65.
Anyone who tries to find in-depth information about most of the 14 monuments covered in this book--originally published in 1982, reprinted in 1990--will quickly discover why it is still so sought after. (See the first comment for brief descriptions of the 14.)
Nor does one have to get too far into the text for other reasons to become immediately apparent, for included in each chapter are descriptions of the site/monument and the specifics about its construction that are so clear that I do not even have to look at the photographs to recall all I saw. Equally well explained is what is known/unknown as well as theories now discredited.
What makes this book so special, however, is the historical background Hemming weaves into his discussion of each site/monument, for it includes an avalanche of detail not found in guidebooks. Until I read this book, for example, I had not understood why flooding the plain at Ollantaytambo had helped repel the Spanish, for I'd never imagined that "the Spanish horsemen found themselves trying to maneuver in rising water that eventually reached the horses' girths." Likewise, neither my guide nor guidebooks mentioned that the condors on the coat of arms of the city of Cuzco were there "in memory of the fact that when [Sacsahuaman] was finally taken [by the Spaniards], these birds descended to eat the natives who had died in it."
Also skillfully woven throughout the entire text are the observations of a) of those who were among the first Europeans to see the Incan works and talk to the Indians who remembered them being built, b) of 19th century adventurers who came upon them and c) archaeologists who have studied them. For instance, Hemming writes that "The beautiful buildings [of Sacsahuanman] ...did not long survive the conquest....The soldier-chronicler Cieza de Leon, who reached Cuzco at the end of [the 1540s], exploded with fury over the wanton destruction: 'The Spaniards have already done so much damage and left it in such a state that I hate to think of the responsibility of those governors who allowed so extraordinary thing to have been destroyed and cast down without giving a thought to the future....The remains of this fortress...should be preserved in memory of the greatness of this land!' "
Equally interesting is the 53-page introduction to Inca architecture--yet another reason this is so prized, especially as it, too, is written as a narrative that weaves in history, religious beliefs, and observations. Naturally much space is devoted to the "technically and aesthetically astounding" stonework. Yet explained as well are the other types of wall construction, the thatching of the roofs, the reason for rejection of elaborate decoration, the reasons monuments were sited where they were, the role the storehouses played in the military success of the Incas, and so on. Suffice to say that not only did this section answer every question I had but also many I would never have thought to ask.
That the text is so well written that it is an absolute pleasure to read seems almost to be icing on the cake. There are also end notes documenting sources, bibliographies of both early and modern works, a glossary of Quechan words and alternative spellings of Inca names and an index.
As for the illustrations-- Though in black and white, Edward Ranney's 157 photographs are so revealing that it did not even occur to me to wish they'd been in color. Also accompanying the text are 15 site plans, occasional sketches of buildings as they would have originally appeared, a map of the Inca empire and another of the Inca sites around Cuzco.
Given all that is in MONUMENTS OF THE INCAS, it did not surprise me that when we returned to Lima, my Peruvian guide (also an archaeologist who has worked on the tunnel between Sacsahuanman and Coricancha) asked to borrow it again and photocopied it in its entirety. --B. Evans, 1/12/08
See the comments for 1) brief descriptions/locations of the 14 monuments discussed, 2) the 1982 NY Times' review of this book, and 3) information about its author and photographer.
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