Agriculture, cosmovision and urban planning in the Peruvian Andean territory

Abstract

The chacana, a central symbol of Andean cosmovision, represents a connection between the astral world, agricultural cycles and territorial organisation. In the Peruvian Andean territory, a significant relationship emerges between the chacana and the urban model of the cancha, a settlement typology developed by the pre-Inca Wari civilisation and later perfected by the Incas. Through the analysis of archaeological sites such as Pikillacta, Cusco and Machu Picchu, it is highlighted how these settlements reflect cultural and cosmological principles deeply rooted in the Andean tradition and its link with the agricultural calendar. The geometric structure of the chacana, with its division into quadrants, is clearly reflected in the modular conception of the cancha, used to organise urban space in harmony with agricultural activities and the natural context which, like a hippodamic grid, is grafted onto the Andean territory. This link between cosmic symbolism and spatial planning highlights a holistic vision, which is still visible in certain rural communities today in settlement principles. The analysis of the connections between symbolism, function and landscape in Wari and Inca human settlements shows how the Andean cosmovision guided the creation of appropriate and integrated spaces, some of which underwent transformations during the Spanish colonial era, offering new keys to understanding the pre-Columbian world of Peru.