Day 17: The Ruins of Sacsayhuaman

The Ruins of Sacsayhuaman

Day 17

January 14, 2018

Cusco, Peru

On the northern outskirts of the city of Cusco are the ruins of the ancient capital of the Incan Empire: Sacsayhuaman.  Although sections of this site were first built by the Killke culture around 1100 AD, it was in the Incans who expanded the site in the 13^th century to what it is today.  What makes this site unique is the combination of walls built from massive stones and the craftsmanship required to build such a place; the stones were carefully carved to fit together without requiring mortar.  While there is no question where the rocks came from (they always quarried where they built), the sheer monstrosity of some of the building blocks begs the question: how did they move such monoliths?  

The view from the edge of the hills overlooks the city of Cusco.

The majority of Sacsayhuaman is built with monolithic rocks.

Although this type of craftsmanship was common in Incan sites, none had building blocks on the scale of Sacsayhuaman.  The stones were given their initial rough shape in the quarries using river cobbles, then they were dragged to the building site.  Using massive hand-built ropes, ramps, and sometimes requiring the hands of hundreds of workers, the movement of these stones was a feat in itself that was marveled even by the Spanish Conquistadors.  To place the large stones atop another, they were carved into their exact shape, lifted using ramps, and lowered using a succession of logs that were removed until the stones sat in their final resting place.  Although the Spaniards had taken all of the gold from the Sun Room, they left the rest of the site largely untouched.  This site has been protected by UNESCO since 1983.  

From the adjacent hill, the whole site looks so peaceful.

The climb to Sacsayhuaman is marked by a steep graded road ascending towards the front gate, rivaling roads I had seen in San Francisco, flanked by stairs rather than sidewalks.  We arrived early to beat the crowds, admiring both the panoramic view of the city below and the engineering prowess of the Incans to construct such an impressive site.  As the crowds gathered near Sacsayhuaman proper, we retreated to the nearby hills to see the site from afar.  At this vantage point, the wind drowned all noise from below, making the site even more peaceful.  

In addition to the engineering prowess at this site, there are several examples
geological intrigue. 

On our way out of the site, we stopped to admire the view once more.