Sacsahuaman
Archaeologists thought Cusco was given the shape a puma, one of the animals
(symbolizing strength and power) the Incas considered sacred. At the Puma's head, the great shrine/fortress of
Sacsahuaman was erected. The fortress was perched high on the hill overlooking the main part of Cusco and its
castle like walls could provide refuge for the city's inhabitants if trouble threatened.
Built of stones of astonishing size and weight - one said to weigh 360 tons - the center seems to have served
both religious and military purposes. Thousands of men had to drag these stones using nothing more than wooden
rollers and great leather or plant-fiber ropes. The stones were then hauled up earthen ramps and hoisted into
place with bronze crowbars and sheer muscle power. Before their final placement, they had to be shaped to
fit with the surrounding blocks. The Incas had no iron tools to assist them; they pounded the blocks into shape using
hard river stones - and lots of strength and patience. The construction of such buildings was an amazing feat,
archaeologists think it took twenty thousand men some sixty years to build Sacsahuaman.
Despite the ravages of conquest, earthquake, and time, a great many of the Incas' wonderfully constructed
buildings still stand - bearing witness to an empire of unforgettable greatness.
The outer walls were constructed in a zigzag formation of three tiers that allowed defenders to rain
destruction on attackers from two sides. Today only the ruins remain of the original fortress city, which the Spanish
tore down after the horrific battle in 1536 and then ransacked for years as a source of construction materials
for the new Spanish city at Cusco. Nowadays, the memories of the Incas live on with the reenactment of the most important day
in the Incan calender, the festival of Inti Raymi (festival of the sun) which takes place annually at Sacsahuaman.
It is celebrated on the day of the winter solstice, June 24th, and is supposedly a great spectacle
with a procession, ceremony and much merrymaking.
About 5 miles north is Tambo Machay, sacred bathing place of the Inca rulers and their royal women.
It is a huaca (a person, place or object believed to contain divine power) built on a natural spring.
Water still flows across a system of aqueducts and canals in the small complex of terraces and a pool,
but these baths were not baths as we know them. The Incas believed water was a source of life and
the baths were most likely a place where water was worshiped and purifying ceremonies were held.
At every stop, we almost always are greeting by local Peruvians selling their goods on the side of the road.
Prev Page Next Page