Friday the 16th of May 2003 – Day 86

Friday the 16th of May 2003 – Day 86
Was up at 8.30am to catch the same bus as yesterday to Pisac (2 s). The station is five minutes from my hostel. Instead of going all the way, got off after 10km. This was to visit 4 separate ruins (all covered by the tourist ticket).

(1) Tambomachay–On the road to Pisac (and a short, signposted walk off the main road), this site is also known as Los Banos del Inca (Inca Baths). Located near a spring just a short walk beyond Puca Pucara, the ruins consist of three tiers of stone platforms. Water still flows across a sophisticated system of aqueducts and canals in the small complex of terraces and a pool, but these were not baths as we know them–though ritualistic bathing may have taken place here–but most likely a place of water ceremonies and worship. The exquisite stonework indicates that the ba?os were used by high priests and nobility only. Spent 35 minutes here.

(2) Walked about 10 minutes on the main road to Puca Pucara–A small fortress (the name means “red fort”) just off the main Cusco-Pisac road, this may have been some sort of storage facility or lodge, or perhaps a guard post on the road from Cusco to the villages of the Sacred Valley. It is probably the least impressive of the sites, though it has nice views of the surrounding countryside.

(3) Took about 40 mintues )on a back road) to reach Sacsayhuaman–The greatest and nearest to Cusco of the ruins, Sacsayhuam?n, a steep 30-minute (or longer) walk from the center, reveals some of the Incas’ most extraordinary architecture and monumental stonework. Usually referred to as a garrison or fortress–because it was constructed with forbidding, castle-like walls–it was probably a religious temple, though most experts also believe it had military significance. The Inca emperor Pachac?tec began the site’s construction in the mid-15th century, though it took nearly 100 years and many thousands of men to complete it. Massive blocks of limestone and other types of stone were brought from as far as 32km (20 miles) away.

The ruins cover a huge area, but they constitute perhaps one-quarter of the original complex, which could easily house more than 10,000 men. Today, what survive are the astounding outer walls, constructed in a zigzag formation of three tiers. (In the puma-shaped layout of the Inca capital, Sacsayhuam?n was said to form the animal’s head, and the zigzag of the defense walls form the teeth.) Many of the base stones employed are almost unimaginably massive; some are 3.5m (12 ft.) tall, and one is said to weigh 300 tons. Like all Inca constructions, the stones fit together perfectly without aid of mortar. It’s easy to see how hard it would have been to attack these ramparts with 22 distinct zigzags; the design would automatically expose the flanks of an opponent.

Above the walls are the circular foundations of three towers that once stood here; they were used for storage of provisions and water. The complex suffered such extensive destruction that little is known about the actual purposes Saqsaywaman served. What is known is that it was the site of one of the bloodiest battles between the Spaniards and native Cusque?os. More than 2 years after the Spaniards had initially marched on Cusco and installed a puppet government, the anointed Inca (Manco Inca) led a seditious campaign that took back Saqsaywaman and nearly defeated the Spaniards in a siege of the Inca capital. Juan Pizarro and his vastly outnumbered but superior armed forces stormed Sacsayhuaman in a horrific battle in 1536 that left thousands dead. Legend speaks of their remains as carrion for giant condors in the open fields here. After the defeat of the Inca troops, and the definitive Spanish occupation of Cusco, the Spaniards made off with the more manageably sized stone blocks from Sacsayhuam?n to build houses and other structures in the city below.

(4) Walked about 10 minutes uphill to get to Q’enko–The road from Sacsayhuaman leads past fields, where, on weekends, Cusqueos play soccer and have cookouts, to the temple and amphitheater of Q’enko (kehn-koh), a distance of about a kilometer (half a mile). The ruins are due east of the giant white statue of Christ crowning the hill next to Sacsayhuaman; follow the main road, and you’ll see signs for Q’enko, which appears on the right. A great limestone outcrop was hollowed out by the Incas and, in the void, they constructed a cave-like altar. (Some have claimed the smooth stone table inside was used for animal sacrifices.) Visitors can duck down into the caves and tunnels beneath the rock. You can also climb on the rock and see the many channels cut into the rock, where it is thought that either chicha or, more salaciously, sacrificial blood coursed during ceremonies. Q’enko may very well have been a site of ritual ceremonies performed in fertility rites and solstice and equinox celebrations.

Walked back to town via Almirante. Head towards the Plaza de Armas. On the way down I visited the Inka Museum. The entrance fee was 5 S.

Museo Inka – Housed in the impressive Admirals Palace, this museum contains artifacts designed to trace Peruvian history from pre-Inca civilizations and Inca culture, including the impact of the Conquest and colonial times on the native cultures. On view are ceramics, textiles, jewelry, mummies, architectural models, and an interesting collection–reputed to be the world’s largest–of Inca drinking vessels (qeros) carved out of wood, many meticulously painted. The museum is a good introduction to Inca culture, and there are explanations in English. The palace itself is one of Cusco’s finest colonial mansions, with a superbly ornate portal indicating the importance of its owner; the house was built on top of yet another Inca palace at the beginning of the 17th century. In the courtyard is a studio of women weaving traditional textiles.

Cuzco – Peru – Outside the Inca Museum

Taken on the 16th of May 2003

Click on the picture to see it in its original size

I also visited the Museo Historico Regional which wasn not that exciting. Missable!
Museo Historico Regional – The colonial home of Garcilaso de la Vega, a prominent historian of the Incas and colonial Cusco, is the appropriate setting for this museum, which presents a survey of Peruvian history from pre-Inca civilizations to the Inca and colonial periods. If you don’t plan on visiting the bigger and better museums in Lima, this will serve as a good enough historical and archaeological overview of cultures such as the Chav?n, Chancay, Moche, and Nasca. In addition to ceramics, textiles, and mummies, there’s Cusco School art and colonial-era furniture. The museum isn’t well labeled, though, so for some visitors, the handsomely rebuilt colonial mansion built around a pretty courtyard may ultimately prove more interesting.