Peru 2017: May 10, 2017-Sacsayhuaman, Christo Blanco, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay; Ciccioliana

After another tasty breakfast we have decided to do another ruins tour. We have made arrangements with Emir our driver from 5/8 to do this tour with us. We felt comfortable with him. Rate is 30 soles per hour. Emir is there for us at 9:00 AM.

Another great breakfast for my husband

Our driver Emir

Sacsayhuaman. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Royal house of the Sun. Quechua name means "satisfied falcon". The falcon guarded the capital of the Inca empire as it was possible to overlook Cusco from the hill where Sacsayhuaman was built. Altitude of the site is around 12,000' Supposedly Cusco was designed in the shape of a lying puma. Sacsayhuaman was its head. This is a hilltop ruin with 3 walls arranged in 3 parallel lines in a zig zag pattern. The enormous stones used are very striking. How did the Inca manage to fit these stones together so perfectly??!! No mortar used. Construction took around 70 years and required the work of thousands to build the foundations. Imagine transporting these huge stones. Spectacular. Astounding example of Incan architecture. Sections first built by the Kilke culture and expanded and added to by the Inca from the 13th century. Main wall is 400 meters long with some stones 8 meters high and 2.5 meters wide. Walls have rounded corners and a variety of interlocking shapes. Walls lean inward for earthquake protection. The largest stones were used on the outer/front wall to show the power of the Inca. 3 towers once stood at the top of Sacsayhuaman but only 2 of their foundations are visible. Spanish attacked the Inca here in the 1500s. Crushing defeat for the Inca. Site almost completely destroyed by the Spanish. Only stones too large to be easily moved remain at the site. Cultivating terraces. Just a short drive outside of Cusco town. We see it all-the doorways, where the towers once stood... A must see in my opinion. Admission covered by the Boleto Touristico ticket. We spent a good 2 hours here. There are guides here which quoted 50 soles for 1 hour. I also bought a book on Cusco from a vendor by the parking area for 30 soles. I bought this book because inside it covered the Cathedral and other places we had visited that didn't allow any pictures to be taken inside. This book has some beautiful pictures of places we've visited and lots of good information.

Vendors

Walking from the parking area

View of Cusco from Sacsayhuaman

Well maintained walkways

Llamas

Looking back towards the parking area

Intipunku

Intipunku door

Hill opposite Sacsayhuaman and some cultivation terraces

Cultivation terraces

Used to be 3 towers here

Muyuqmarka- cylindral foundation remains of this tower

Rectangular foundation remains of one of the towers

Trimming the grass with weed eaters!

Can see the zig zag shape of the outer wall

Stones were perfectly jointed with no mortar

The stones are on the outer wall are immense

Rounded corners

Signs with information

Enormous stones

Here you see the second inside wall still with zig zag pattern

A very long wall

Area of the information signs

Christo Blanco is close by

Better view of the 3 zig zag walls

Book on Cusco that I bought

Christo Blanco. We make a quick stop for this statue and 3 decorated crosses. This statue of Christ was a gift from the Palestinians seeking refuge here after WWII. It looks like a smaller version of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio. The view of Cusco from here is lovely. This statue is also lit up at night.

View of Cusco

3 decorated crosses

Qenqo. Labyrinth. Maybe dedicated to the worship of fertility. Place for sacrifice and mummifications. Nice view of Cusco. Cave section/underground chamber has a floor, ceiling, tables, and niches carved on the bare rock. Possible worship place for secret rites-human and/or llama sacrifices?? Zigzagging water channel was dry when we were here. Spent 30 minutes here. Admission covered by BT ticket.

Information about the site

At the right is the kind of amphitheater attached to the rock outcrop-an elliptical space surrounded by a wall with 19 niches and a high monolith at its center.

Unusual shape and colors

Entrance

Exit

Water channel was dry at the time of our visit

Puka Pukara was a fortress/military control center. Means "red fort" in Quechua. Or could have been a storage facility or a lodge for the court of the Inca emperor when he came to visit the baths at Tambomachay. 3 walls. Several rooms. Trapezoidal doorways and windows. Spent 30 minutes here. Admission covered by BT ticket.

Entrance

Information

Tambomachay. Temple of the water. Baths of the Inca. Favorite resting place. Natural rock formations. There are finely carved aqueducts-water falls from a natural spring. Complex system of channels which carry water through a group of terraces to a series of fountains. 4 walls/graded terraces in the hill. Thick Inca wall with trapezoidal niches and doorways. We spent 1 hour here but you don't have to climb/hike the entire site like we did. The fountains are seen first so you could stop here. One of the best examples of Inca hydraulic engineering. Admission covered by BT ticket. We are back to our hotel by 2:00 PM. So cost for the 5 hours was 150 soles.

Entrance

Information

Long walk from the parking area and entrance to the site

Fountain

3 terraces with a series of niches in the upper part

Better view of the 3 terraces

On the ride back to Cusco I spot several balconies right in town that I love. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the hotel's pool and hot tub. Bliss! This is our last night in Cusco. I wish I would have added some more time as 4 nights was not enough time to explore and enjoy this fascinating city. Never got to wander around in the San Blas neighborhood or squeeze in visits to Museo Inkariy or Museo Inka. Since we didn't have the time to do the workshop at the Choco Museum in Ollantaytambo I had hoped to do it here in Cusco. Again no time to fit it in. Rain on 5/7 spoiled our chance to visit the Ccochahuasi Animal Sanctuary. I would have loved a visit there but it was not to be either. Before dinner we had to the bar for our last free pisco sours!! I definitely plan to buy a bottle of pisco to take back home with me.

Even pass by the Choco Museum in Cusco

Our last dinner in Cusco and I have chosen Cicciolina. Taxi was either 5 or 6 soles. We don't have a reservation (recommended) but are lucky to be seated at a very nice table. There is a seating cover charge of 7 soles per person for the dining room. No charge for the bar.