Sacsaywaman is an Inca sight very close to the center of the city https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saksaywaman but it feels like it is a world away. The massive stones and boulders that were moved, cut, and shaped for the fortress are beyond comprehension. The precision of the stonework and how boulders of up to 90 tons were positioned is still a mystery to archaeologists. Pretty amazing stuff for a people that did not possess the wheel and still managed to move megalithic stones many kilometers up and down mountains. To say you can't even put a piece of paper between the stones only paints part of the picture. The joints are absolutely perfect even as the seam between the rocks moves at angles or curves. How were the engineers of these stones walls able to scribe such massive stones and on such a huge scale as to cover the whole city of Cusco is still a mystery. Seeing structures like this really makes one wonder about the scope and potential of humanity.
However, the Spaniards did everything they could to remove the Inca symbols from the face of the earth. I am certain if they had large quantities of dynamite they would have blown all of these spots up just as ISIS is doing in the Middle East today. The Spaniards destroyed aqueducts that irrigated fields. They dismantled Inca temples and used the stones to build their churches. They burned and destroyed native food crops to starve the people. They killed 90 percent of the alpacas in the region because the natives needed them for clothing. The Spaniards horrifically killed thousands upon thousands of innocent indigenous peoples during the inquisition for not believing in their God. This however is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how atrociously the Spanish were to these people.
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| Festive colors worn by the indigenous people before the entrance to Sacsaywaman. |
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| We all enjoyed the meandering lines between the rocks. |
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| Massive stone header above the doorway. |
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| Areas where people could observe visitors as they entered the gates. |
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| Any crack thicker than a hair is a result of earthquakes or from ransacking. |
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| An elaborate system was created to move water around the fortress. |
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| Inca stonework knew no bounds. |
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| Each and every rock was moved, carved and chiseled into place. |
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| It was a humbling experience to feel insignificant next to this creation. |
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| The area of Sacsaywaman is at least several football fields in size. |
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| Stunning |
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| Zoe could not get over the beauty of this place. |
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