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In order to visit most
archaeological sites around Cusco one must purchase a tourist ticket. This
multi-part ticket costs ten dollars and allows admission to a half dozen
museums in the Cusco area, as well as approximately ten additional sites
outside of town and in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The closest site,
and arguably the most impressive of all the Inca sites is Sacsayhuaman.
In Inca times the layout of Cusco was in the shape of a great puma. Sacsayhuaman
which sits on a hilltop adjacent to town forms the head. The Spaniards
erroneously believed that Sacsayhuaman was a fortress because of its great
size. It was actually one of the Inca's most important ritual sites.
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Three levels of zig-zagging
walls encircle the base of a large rocky outcropping . The size of the
stones is mind boggling. All of the corners are rounded--characteristic
of the most important architecture.
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Continuing toward the
Sacred Valley the next closest site to Cusco is Q'enqo. This is another
important ceremonial and astronomical site that is carved from a single
rock outcrop. Near Q'enqo we saw this sign of the times (below).
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After passing a few
smaller sites the next major site before crossing the pass into the Valle
Sagrado is Tambomachay. A large part of the Inca's great strength lay in
their superb understanding of hydrology and irrigation. Tambomachay was
a ceremonial center that honored water. The spring here is channeled into
aqueducts that still irrigate nearby fields. Below you can see the characteristic
trapezoidal form of Inca doorways and niches. The niches here probably
held ceremonial objects or sacrifices.
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