September 3, 2024
This morning, we set out to visit Sacsayhuaman, an hour’s climb straight up from our hotel. Sacsayhuaman is an Incan ceremonial temple of worship (later referred to as a citadel by the Spaniards) on the city’s northern outskirts at 3700 meters (12,140 feet) and the most prominent structure built by the Incas in that period. We walked the first 30 minutes slowly up beautifully adorned streets filled with shops and artisans’ tables. On the way, we noticed pairs of ceramic bulls on top of some houses. We later learned that these are given by the parents of the bride and groom when couples construct new houses. The bulls serve as protectors for the new family home. The second 30 minutes were more difficult as we followed a very sunny, hot, extremely steep, winding, rocky path to the entrance gate of the site. A very tiring hike, but worth it for the beautiful views of the city!
The site is enormous, almost twelve square miles encompassing several archeological sites, and much of the original massive stonework remains; huge, finely cut polygonal blocks, many over 4 meters in height, make up the walls of the fortress, and like at Qorikancha, the fine shaping of the stones was so precise that mortar was not necessary. However, here, the rocks varied in size and shape and still somehow fit together perfectly, whereas, at the latter, all the stones were cut in precisely the same size and shape. Incredibly, at both sites, the Incas used bronze bars and interlocking cutouts to secure the stones, which rendered them largely earthquake-proof; five hundred years of earthquakes have done remarkably little damage to most Incan structures. The corner of each zigzag in the primary temple wall is anchored by a massive stone weighing between 90 and 125 tons. Archeological scholars estimate that over 20,000 people worked on the construction, and the stones were brought from as far as 20km away. The walls reveal various symbols of animals typical of the region, arranged or carved by the Incas, including serpents, pumas and falcons (I’ve outlined a falcon in one of the photos). In addition, there are ruins of residences and towers, sanctuaries, warehouses, and aqueducts. In 1536, during the Spanish conquest, a significant battle occurred at Sacsayhuaman between Incan and Spanish forces. The Incas caused considerable damage to the Spanish but were ultimately defeated, and unfortunately, many of the structures were destroyed.
Sacsayhuaman was an important temple where the Incan Festival of the Sun was held every winter solstice, in which offerings and sacrifices were likely made to honor the sun god. Today, a reenactment of the ceremony is still held each year. Only partially due to the altitude, the place is undoubtedly sacred and emits a mystical, spiritual feeling as you walk amongst the ruins and marvel at the architecture. Truly a remarkable site to see.
After the (much easier) decent, we ate a late lunch at a tiny trout ceviche place near our hotel. I have never had better ceviche (and we were in the mountains)! Then, after checking out the artsy San Blas square, we headed for a siesta and finished the day with dinner at another popular, nearby restaurant, Pachapapa.
The link to the photos and videos for day 3 is here: Cusco Day 3