Sacsayhuaman - the Inca Fortress

All around Cusco, from almost every vantage point, we see the mountainous surroundings. 

Peru's 'Coat of Arms' in a mountain near Cusco

As we leave Cusco, we have a view of some interesting mountain art. (I don’t know how else to describe this.) There is a shield shape cut into the hillside, with the symbols that are Peru’s ‘coat of arms’.  In the upper left is the vicuna (a relative of the llama), Peru’s national animal; next to that is the cinchona tree, (the bark has many medicinal uses from helping with blood vessel problems to reducing bloating);  and in the center below those images is a cornucopia, symbolizing prosperity.

And we’re on our way to Sacsayhuaman on the raised north border of Cusco. The meaning of “Sacsayhuaman” has something to do with the noble hawk or eagle (I found both explanations). This was a fortress that provided storage for arms, food, and tools and also held sites for religious worship, including a temple dedicated to the sun god, Inti.  
  

Inca leader Pachacutec began the expansion of the Inca Empire during his reign from 1438 to 1471 CE. On the outskirts of Cusco, he started construction of Sacsayhuaman. His son, Tupac Inca Yupanqui, continued and expanded it, creating a fortress of massive stone. Thousands of laborers applied their stone-cutting and engineering skills to build what is probably the largest structure in the Inca empire. How they moved these massive blocks of stone, some over twelve feet tall, is still a mystery. 

Guide Rosa in front of a Sacsayhuaman wall 

With our guide, Rosa in the foreground, this picture gives you an idea of the size of some of the rocks used in the fortress construction.  As in earlier photos, you can also see the meticulous cut  edges of the stones leaving no space between them, assuring their stability.

Sacsayhuaman 'remains; view of Cusco 

The fortress was also a source for construction materials used by the conquering Spanish, leaving partial walls that you see in the photo above.

   

In an earlier post when I described Inca engineering feats, I mentioned the way they tamed mountains by 'terracing' the slopes/  Even in this massive fortress we see those terraces. Walls supporting the flat ‘steps’ are made of stone.  The surface is topsoil, and beneath that there is gravel that keeps water from flooding the surface.