Peru Trip Report, Day 7: Saksayhuaman, Tambomachay, Qenqo, Pucapucara, CoriCancha

Day 7, Dec 3, 2014:

We covered Saksayhuaman, Tambomachay, Qenqo, Pucapucara, Korikancha... all magnificent with terrific Incan masonry.

 8am: In our taxi getting out of San Blas... narrow lanes and steep gradients...

Saksayhuaman:

This tree at the entrance and inside sheds its layers of bark...It is QEUNA, of the Family: Rosaceae Scientific name: Polylepis incana. Small Tree: Height 4 - 8 meters with trunk of 20-40 cm in diameter, with small greenish flowers (May - November) and fruits (November – January). Habitat: 2000 - 5000 meters. 

Saksayhuaman ( meaning ‘Royal Eagle’) fortress-temple complex lies at the northern edge of the former Inca capital Cuzco. 

Constructed during the reign of Pachacuti (1438-1471 CE) and his successors, its massive, well-built walls remain today as a testimony not only to Inca power but also the skills of Inca architects and their approach of blending their monumental structures harmoniously into the natural landscape.

Cuzco was laid out to form a puma shape when seen from above is correct, then Sacsayhuaman was its head.

The fortress has three distinct terraces which recede backwards on each other. The walls, each reaching a height of 18 metres, are laid out in a zigzag fashion stretching over 540 metres so that each wall has up to 40 segments, which allowed the defenders to catch attackers in a crossfire; a result helped also by the general curvature of the entire fortress facade. Inca architects blended their structures into the surrounding natural landscape and the outline of the Sacsayhuaman was built to mimic the contours of the mountain range which towers behind it. This is particularly evident when the sun creates deep triangular shadows between the zigzag terraces in exactly the same way that it does on the mountain range with its peaks and valleys.

Magnificent stonework with huge finely-cut polygonal blocks, many over 4 metres in height and weighing over 100 tons.

Huge blocks were quarried and shaped using nothing more than harder stones and bronze tools. Marks on the stone blocks indicate that they were mostly pounded into shape rather than cut. Blocks were moved using ropes, logs, poles, levers, and earthen ramps (telltale marks can still be seen on some blocks), and some stones still have nodes protruding from them or indentations which were used to help workers grip the stone. The fine cutting and setting of the blocks on site was so precise that mortar was not necessary. Finally, a finished surface was provided using grinding stones and sand.

The Incas ensured that their blocks interlocked and the walls were sloped to maximise their resistance to earthquake damage.

Alpacas across the road. A whistle got their attention and they galloped in here thru these fences... well, under them...

 There is only one small doorway on each terrace which gave access to the interior buildings and towers on the hillside behind. 

On completion, the fortress was said to have had a capacity for at least 1,000 warriors, but it was rarely needed as the Incas did not suffer invasions from enemy states. Probably, for this reason,

After the European invasion, most of the stones of the Sacsayhuaman were reused elsewhere in the colonial buildings of Cuzco. The ruins were covered in earth by the Spanish to prevent their use by rebel Inca forces and the site was not rediscovered until its excavation in 1934.

As we hike through the ruins we get great views of the town below.

Saw the Sun Temple and Sun Gate

INTIPUNKU (SUN GATE):

 

Then we went on the path to Cristo Moqo... 

 Cristo Moqo:

Later covered the rest of the ruins 

 Emerged on the other side where our driver was waiting... 

Qenko:

We drove on toward Qenko next.

Located close to Saqsayhuman, about 6 kms (4 miles) from Cusco, Qenko is a large rock and intricate lithic complex that was thought to have been used by the Incas for ceremonial purposes. 

The Spanish gave it the name Qenko after the Quechua word meaning “labyrinth or zigzag.” The name may have derived after the small yet intricate network of underground passages that make up the site, or perhaps for the mysterious zigzag channels carved into the rock.

Qenqo is a unique temple in its construction, as it’s carved entirely out of a naturally occurring monolith. Many of the wak’as (holy places) in the Cusco region were created around natural rock formations, but Qenqo is one of the largest and most impressive in the area.

Adjacent to the main rock of Qenko, there is a large amphitheater. The amphitheater is formed by an outer wall that has 19 large niches, probably used for ceremonial purposes. At the center of the amphitheater is a mysterious upright rock, which may have been carved in to the shape of a puma.

 ALTAR:

 A large natural cavity in the rock houses a stone altar, where the Incas would have performed rituals and even sacrifices. Mummification may have taken place here.

Inca priests poured sacred chicha or llama blood into the zigzag channels as part of an annual ritual used to determine the fate of the following year’s crop.

We had the good luck to meet up with an Inca and immortalized the occasion!

Then drove on toward Puca Pucara. 

Puca Pucara:

This is a lovely village...houses with Incan symbols on the mud walls. Puma, condor, snake and the Andean cross here...

Puca Pucara is a large fortress located about 8 kms (5 miles) from Cusco. Its name means red fortress and is taken from the red granite used in its construction. 

During Inca times, Puca Pucara was located on the road that lead to the Antisuyo province of the Inca Empire. It was used as a guard post that protected access to Cusco from the marauding tribes of the Amazonian east.

Unlike many other Inca structures nearby, Puca Pucara is built from irregular shaped stones which fit together poorly, suggesting that the site was constructed in a hurry from an imminent threat. An interesting aspect of the architecture is the concentric arrangement of the three walls that crown the highest part of the complex. A single entrance leads to chambers that could have been used to store provisions for those garrisoned at the site.

Tambomachay, The Inca baths:

Tambomachay is located at 8 km to the northeast of Cusco; and at 1 km of Puca-pucará. It is located at a foothill near the main road to the Antisuyo, over the Tambomachay River. It occupies an area of 437 square meters, located at 3,700 meters altitude.

Its name derives from two Quechua words: Tampu, which means collective lodging; and Mach'ay, which means resting-place. However, "machay" also means "caves", which would describe the particular environment of the place. It is composed of a set of stone structures finely carved, aqueducts and water falls originating from near springs and thermal sources; it was probably related to the worship of water.

It's also known as "Baño de la Ñusta" (Bath of the Ñusta) or "Balneario Inca" (Incan Watering Place).

Water was worshiped as the source of life. Tambomachay has an extraordinary hydraulic system. Two aqueducts, artistically carved on the rock, transport and keep a constant flow of clean water during the whole year. This network of underground channels pours its waters in a small stone situated at the lowest level. 

So far the origin of the spring that supplies such clear and abundant water to the sources is unknown. However, the one thing that cannot be denied is the perfection of the channel carving.

The monument is remarkable due to its architectonic excellence. We can appreciate four walls or graded terraces embedded to the hill, made of irregular carved-stone polyhedrons, brilliantly assembled, and which make up three parallel cultivation terraces. A thick wall (15 meters long and 4 meters high) decorated with four niches is on the last polyhedron. The stones had been perfectly adjusted. It has four large trapezoidal niches of 2 meters on average. In front of the building there was a circular large fortified tower that must have had defense and communication aims.

Cristo Blanco (White Christ) :

The statue of Cristo Blanco (White Christ) is located on top of a hill high above Cusco, near Sacsayhuaman. Cristo Blanco was built by a group of Christian Palestinians that were seeking refuge in Cusco in 1945. It was a symbol of their gratitude toward the city, and was their parting gift when they finally returned to their home country.

SAN BLAS PLAZA:

We got dropped at our apt, had some food and then walked to the Plaza.

This is our street...

Reached the San Blas Church

 There was a funeral service going on, so we went to the Plaza

We came back to the church and climbed its bell tower.

Plaza de armas:

We walked on to Plaza de Armas. These are dioramas... retablos

These look like jharokha ...overhanging enclosed balcony used in Indian architecture.

love the alpaca sign.

Cusco cathedral here...

We walked on and reached the famed Coricancha

Coricancha:

Coricancha, originally named Inti Kancha (Quechua inti sun) or Inti Wasi (Quechua for "sun house"), was the most important temple in the Inca Empire, dedicated primarily to Inti, the Sun God.

Situated at an elevation of 11,150 feet, Cuzco was laid out on a grid plan in the shape of a puma, a sacred mountain lion. The pre-Inca site of Sacsayhuaman, on a plateau near the northern edge of the city, forms the head of the puma and the Coricancha temple forms the center of the grid.

When they conquered the Cusco valley, the founders of the Inca dynasty, Manko Qhapaq and his family, settled on the site now occupied by the Qorikancha. Later the main temple of the Inca Empire was constructed here.

Inca Pachakuti (or Pachakuteq), rebuilt the shrine and endowed it with fabulous riches, and its name was changed to Qorikancha, which in Quechua means “golden enclosure”.

The walls and floors were once covered in sheets of solid gold, and courtyard was filled with golden statues. Spanish reports tell of its opulence that was "fabulous beyond belief". When the Spanish required the Inca to raise a ransom in gold for the life of the leader Atahualpa, most of the gold was collected from Qurikancha.

After the Spanish conquest in 1532, the Qorikancha fell to Juan Pizarro, one of Francisco Pizarro's brothers. Before his death, Juan Pizarro donated the Qorikancha to the Dominican Order. Founded in 1534, Cusco’s Saint Dominic Priory (Convento de Santo Domingo) was the first Dominican convent in Peru.

The Spanish colonists built the Church of Santo Domingo on the site, demolishing the temple and using its foundations for the cathedral. Construction took most of a century. This is one of numerous sites where the Spanish incorporated Inca stonework into the structure of a colonial building. Major earthquakes severely damaged the church, but the Inca stone walls, built out of huge, tightly-interlocking blocks of stone, still stand due to their sophisticated stone masonry.

This curved, perfectly fitted 6m-high wall can be seen from both inside and outside the site. This wall has withstood all of the violent earthquakes that leveled most of Cuzco’s colonial buildings.

The nubs on this wall are solar alignment markers.

Qoricancha: This is where the sun's rays strike on the solstices.... temple of the sun.

TAMBOR SOLAR:

“Solar Drum" is the modern name given to the semicircular wall which in ancient times formed the exterior wall of the western side of the Qorikancha. It is an example of the perfection with which the Incas worked andesite. The main structure of the Inca temple, the chamber of the sun, was located close to this wall.

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The Main Cloister is the central part of the Saint Dominic Priory, founded in 1534. Beneath its arches hang paintings from the series “Life of Saint Dominic de Guzmán”, by the 17th century artist José Espinoza de los Monteros. A pre-Hispanic ceremonial fountain carved from a single block of stone occupies the center of the cloister.

These Colonial paintings around the outside of the courtyard contain several representations of dogs holding torches in their jaws. These are God’s guard dogs (dominicanus in Latin), hence the name of this religious order.

Five temples or wasi were placed around the main square courtyard of Coricancha. In order of hierarchy, one temple was dedicated to the creator god Viracocha (more or less equal to Inti), one to Quilla the goddess of the moon, one to Venus or Chaska-Qoylor, one to the god of thunder Illapa, and finally one for Cuichu the rainbow god. Just as Inti's temple was covered in gold, Quilla's temple was covered in silver, a metal thought to be the tears of the moon. Each wasi contained a cult statue of that particular god and precious art and religious objects connected to them.

The temple walls were lined with some 700 solid-gold sheets, each weighing about 2kg. There were life-sized gold and silver replicas of corn, which were ceremonially ‘planted’ in agricultural rituals.

Also reported were solid-gold treasures such as altars, llamas and babies, as well as a replica of the sun, which was lost. But within months of the arrival of the first conquistadors, this incredible wealth had all been looted and melted down.

Inca chambers lie to either side of the courtyard.

The largest, to the right, were said to be temples to the moon and the stars, and were covered with sheets of solid silver. The walls are perfectly tapered upward and, with their niches and doorways, are excellent examples of Inca trapezoidal architecture. The fitting of the individual blocks is so precise that in some places you can’t tell where one block ends and the next begins.

The main Inca chamber is located in the southern part of the old Qorikancha. Its most remarkable detail is the large opening with holes drilled into all its edges, known as the “Ceremonial Niche” or “Inca's Throne”. Until the 1940s this chamber served as the priory's chapterhouse and was used by the friars as a meeting place.

The mortarless masonry, earthquake-proof trapezoidal doorways, curved retaining wall, and exquisite carving exemplify the Inca artistic and engineering skills

Stones with drilled grooves... one can only guess how these were done.

"SEQES SYSTEM" PAINTING:

Milky way painting on the wall .In the Inca capital and its surroundings a number of shrines, temples and sacred places consisting of rocks, caves, springs, etc, were venerated by the people of Cusco, who called them wakas, in Quechua.

These wakas were connected with each other by imaginary lines called seqes. The Qorikancha formed the hub from which all the seqes radiated. The painting by the Cusco-born artist Miguel Araoz shows the distribution of Cusco’s seqes.

Incas Golden Model Of Universe, Koricancha: 

Inside the main courtyard, is this golden plate with images that represent the inca's vision of the cosmos, told by the chronicler Santa Cruz Pachacuti. In these drawings we can see the god Wiracocha, the Sun, the Moon, Venus, the Rainbow, the Lightning, a man and a woman, a tree and stars. Incas were not certain about appearance of their main god Wiracocha, they have drawn an oval in order not to insult him. Incas Golden Model Of Universe, Koricancha Temple, Cuzco.

A representation of the all-powerful creator Viracocha Pacha Yachachi as an oval disc, left and right the sun Inti and Moon Qilla.

Below these the Morning Star and Evening Star respectively,

Below the Morning Star a number of stars represents the Pleiedes representing the time of summer, and the cross with four stars looks like the southern cross;

Far right are clouds representing the time of winter;

The round disc represents Mother Earth or Pachamama, crowned with a rainbow and engraved with mountains and a river;

The teardrop shape represents Mama Cocha, the goddess of the sea;

In the centre are a man and a woman; the seven small discs represent seeds, from which all life is created, and on the right is a tree representing ancestors;

The grid represents the agricultural fields or crop terraces of the Incas - essential for life.

A series of Inca stones displayed reveals the fascinating concept of male and female blocks, and how they fit together. C shaped groove ... 2 such blocks had bronze poured in the groove to hold them together

The gardens are located on terraces from the Inca period, reconstructed in the 20th century, and are planted with a number of native species: qeuñas (a native tree that grows at high altitudes), fuchsias (a shrub that produces decorative red, white and pink flowers) and qantus (a shrub that produces Peru's national flower).

Condor, puma and snake in the lawn...totemic representatives of the three levels

Uku Pacha ("the lower world") was located within the earth's surface.

Kay Pacha was the world in which we live.

Hanan Pacha ("higher world") was the world above us where the sun and moon lived.

Platform of the Tired stones:

It was an AWESOME experience touring the Coricancha!

We came out and wandered through the centro before returning to our apt.

Even the modern plaza mimics Incan principles of stone mortarless walls and trapezoidal doors/windows.











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