
Reception immediately following the lecture in 214 Pomerene Hall
In the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries the Inka (Inca) of western South America
built magnificent structures of rock. They also ate and drank with, dressed, and talked to
rocks. This presentation will explore the ways the Inka manipulated rock as a medium,
and—more significantly—how they negotiated with and cajoled rock that was capable of
resisting human efforts to transport, cut, and fit it into stonemasonry walls. Professor Dean
will address two central questions: what did it mean to the Inka to construct using a sentient
medium, and what significance was conveyed by an Inka masonry wall?