Exterior view of the carpa uasi, a 15th-century Inca structure incorporated into the base of a colonial-era church in Huaytará, Peru. The adobe building features a series of trapezoidal niches along its facade.
Stella Nair
The carpa uasi was the bottom level of this building; it originally ended to the left of the arch (near the right side of the floor level). The 15th-century structure survived because the church built over and around it lent stability.