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SAQSAYWAMAN
| This
site is located north of the city of Cusco, at an altitude
of about 3555 meters above sea level, between the districts
of Cusco and San Sebastian, both of them within in the province
and department of Cusco. The archeological park covers an
area of 3094 Hectares and contains more than 200 archeological
sites. Leading to Saqsaywaman there are two paved roads, one
starts in the old and traditional neighborhood of San Cristobal
and is about 1.5 kilometers long and the other road begins
at Avenida Collasuyo and is 4 kilometers long. |
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There
are other footpaths, one that starts from a place called Sapantiana
and which begins at the street Choquechaca is 1 kilometer long.
The other footpath begins from the district of San Blas and leads
to the temple of Kusilluyoq, through an old inca road that lead
to Collasuyo.
This colossal and monumental structure known today as Saqsaywaman,
was known as the House of the Sun in the Inca era, and before
the arrival of spaniards in 1535. What captures our attention
today is the architectonic structure and the enormous weight of
the stones (50 tons each). Most of the smaller stones were taken
to build the Christian churches such as the Church of Santo Domingo
(over the Temple of Koricancha). Many chroniclers like Garcilaso
de la Vega , Murua, Bernabe Cobo, Pedro Pizarro, Sarmiento de
Gamboa and Cieza de Leon said that Saqsaywaman was an enormous
monument and they all wondered how it could have been built with
the limited technology and tools of that time. Some of them, such
as Garcilaso said that the fortress had to be built with help
of devil spirits.
During the 19th century the fortress was visited by famous travelers
like George Squier, Antonio Raymondi and Charles Winner. In 1934
some discoveries were made by Luis Valcarcel who was influenced
by the chronicles of Garcilaso de la Vega . Valcarcel discovered
the foundation of three rooms and towers in the southern part
of the fortress.
During the 1970s, the Archeologist Luis A. Pardo discovered platforms
in the areas called Rodadero o Suchuna whose work was sponsored
by the Archeological Foundation. Between 1985 and 1986 the National
Institute of Culture (INC) made some excavations in a flat area
located near el Rodadero in which a great reservoir was found,
used for ceremonies called Qapac Qocha, with springs and underground
waterways as well as water control boxes, filters and carved rocks
and other technological elements which demonstrated the great
knowledge the Incas had about hydraulics. The INC is now making
excavations in an area where more than 30 tombs were found that
include clothes and utensils buried in the inca era.
Architectural
Description
The area of the fortress is made up of four sections called
:
- The rampart section
- The tower section
- The Rodadero section
- Labyrinth section
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The wall or rampart is the most impressive section, built with
enormous carved limestone boulders, thisconstruction has a broken
line that faces to the main plaza called Chuquipampa which is
a slope with 25 angles and 60 walls.
The biggest carved boulder of the first wall weighs about 70 tons
and like all of the other rocks was brought from a quarry called
Sisicancha, three kilometers away and where there are still rocks
that were transported part of the way. Each wall is made up of
10 fronts with the most important ones known as Rumipunco, tiupunku,
Achuanpunku and Viracocha punku.
The towers are located on the hill of Saqsaywaman and form three
different basic shapes, the most important one is called Muyucmarca,
whose foundations were impressive and round and with three concentric
circles with underground waterways. According to the chronicler
Garcilaso, the tower was covered with golden plates and the towers
were connected one to another with underground tunnels.
The other towers are Pucamarca and Sallaqmarca where new archeological
discoveries have been made. The have found some bones and pottery
that belonged to the period of construction approximately about
1430 and 1472 in the reign of Inca Pachacuteq. The other section
called Rodadero is located opposite the hill of the fortress.
This section is made up of diorite rock of igneous origin, where
we can find waterways, carved rocks and what has been revealed
to be the so-called throne of the Incas that is accessed by a
series of delicately carved stairs. Behind this section we find
small labyrinths, tunnels and vaulted niches in the walls.
The Chincanas (labyrinths in rock) are wavy tunnels that took
this shape due to the erosion made by underground water and were
later modified by the incas. There are two Chincanas, the big
one and the small one in which we can find carved rocks of different
geometric shapes.
KENKO
| Located
at the edge of the Archaeological Park of Saqsaywaman, located
on a small hill called Socorro, is a temple or oracle. It
is one of the 300 temples of the Inca Empire that was tied
to the Temple of Koricancha along one of the cardinal lines
that came from there.This small archeological site is made
up of limestone. It has two parts, one called the great carved
rock and a semicircular plaza. In the rock section we can
see a natural formation on which we see carved figures of
animals, such as reptiles, felines and two cylindrical figures
or shapes. |
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This rocky platform
could have functioned as an astronomical observatory similar to
those located in Pisaq or Machupicchu. In another part of the
rock area we can see a figure in bass-relief with broken lines
that ends in a hole that leads to an underground gallery located
below the rock in which we find square and rectangular carvings
facing an open plaza-like space a with many engraved figures.
The
semicircular plaza, also called the amphitheater, is made
up of an open space adjacent to the big rock In the background
you can catch a glimpse of a big niche where we can see a
rocky formation over a pedestal of dressed walls in cell shaped
forms.
Less than
500 meters away we can find another archaeological site with
similar characteristics called little Kenko, where we can
find a series of carved rocks and seats of stone. The monument
is surrounded by a wall with granite stones laid in a cell
shaped manner. |
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PUCA
PUCARA
| Located
8 kilometers from Cusco and within the archaeological park
of Saqsaywaman we find this archaeological site on a small
rocky hill in which we can see a series of rectangular formations.
Enclosed by a wall and platforms for containment, we can see
a fortification with warehouses, rooms, water springs, waterways
and aqueducts. Like the large architectonic structures, the
presence of a succession of water springs and a double jambed
gateway stands out. |
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TAMBOMACHAY
Located
1 kilometer from the Puca Pucara site (9 kilometers from Cusco),
this site has 3 platform levels built with beautifully finished
stone. This site is known by tradition as the Baños de la
Ñusta (the baths of the princess). The main feature of this
monument is the existence of two crystalline water springs
that flow through a sluice of carved stones all year round.
About 500 meters away from the springs above one of the levels
we find a grotto which is where the name Tambomachay came
from. It is probable that this site was a temple dedicated
to the worship of water. From this ravine starts a network
of waterways used for irrigation of the peasant's terraces
even today as we find that in August of every year, the inhabitants
of the area continue to make offerings to the water springs.
It should be emphasized that its architecture is finely worked
especially in the vaulted niches of limestone the size of
a human being.
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Wilbert
San Román Luna
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