Our first stop on our guided tour of the Inca sites around Cuzco was Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun.
Once covered in plates of gold and silver, this temple was looted by the Spanish after the defeat of the Incan Emperor, Atahualpa. The Catholic church moved in and, in a story that was oft-repeated throughout the day, build a church on the same site to ensure that the conquered people could not practice their native religion.
The next site was Saqsayhuamán. Where the city of Cuzco is laid out in the shape of the body of a puma-an animal sacred to the Incas-Saqsayhuamán is the head of the puma. I'd really love to get an aerial view of this!
Our third stop was Q'engo, where little remains but the a sacrificial table around which they found the bones of many llamas.
Fourth up was Pukapukara, an hostal of sorts for the messengers who travelled throughout the Incan Empire.
Last was Tambomachay, a fountain where the Incan Emperor and his nobles would bring their wives to perform some fertility rituals.
Although we had the best tour guide of our entire trip on this tour, it was not my favorite part of the trip. I found it to be exhausting, though my illness or the cold weather or a reaction to the altitude or a combination of all of three might have contributed to this as well.
Once covered in plates of gold and silver, this temple was looted by the Spanish after the defeat of the Incan Emperor, Atahualpa. The Catholic church moved in and, in a story that was oft-repeated throughout the day, build a church on the same site to ensure that the conquered people could not practice their native religion.
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| We were able to get a detailed look at the remarkable, earthquake-proof stone walls that the Incas built. They are actually well-preserved here because for many years they were plastered over upon orders of the Catholic Church. It's amazing when you see how perfectly the stones are carved to fit together with no need for any adhesives to keep them together. |
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| Some more detail in how the stones were carved to fit together so exactly. |
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| The courtyard is also beautiful |
The next site was Saqsayhuamán. Where the city of Cuzco is laid out in the shape of the body of a puma-an animal sacred to the Incas-Saqsayhuamán is the head of the puma. I'd really love to get an aerial view of this!
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| Again you can see the precision in the way the stones were put together |
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| This is the biggest rock here! |
Our third stop was Q'engo, where little remains but the a sacrificial table around which they found the bones of many llamas.
Fourth up was Pukapukara, an hostal of sorts for the messengers who travelled throughout the Incan Empire.
Last was Tambomachay, a fountain where the Incan Emperor and his nobles would bring their wives to perform some fertility rituals.
Although we had the best tour guide of our entire trip on this tour, it was not my favorite part of the trip. I found it to be exhausting, though my illness or the cold weather or a reaction to the altitude or a combination of all of three might have contributed to this as well.
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