On your trip to Peru, Cusco will more than likely be at the top of your list. The city is full of historic buildings, cobblestone streets and cafes with little balconies. It’s where you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time a bit. Cusco is also the closest big city to Machu Picchu. It’s a great place to explore for a few days and the Cusco ruins are a great place to start.
Cusco was actually the capital of the Inca Empire and the archeological remains can be found all over the city. In fact, lots of buildings were built on top of the Incan ruins and you can see the distinction between old and new while walking the streets.
You can walk to some of these Cusco ruins but if you take a tour, you’ll have a little bus that takes you around and of course, information on the ruins themselves. Also, the walk hike to Puka Pukara and Tambomachay alone is about two hours. You don’t want to wear yourself out before you get to Machu Picchu. (Just assuming everyone else is not in hiking shape. 🙃)
Here are some of the popular ruins in Cusco to see:
Qorikancha
The most important building to the Inca Empire was Qorikancha (also the first picture on this post), which contained The Temple of the Sun. It was considered to be the most sacred site to Incan culture and the center of…everything. It was dedicated to the highest gods but especially to the god of the sun: Inti. The Temple of the Sun had walls of gold and a gold statue of Inti that was covered in jewels.
The layout of the city of Cusco is said to resemble a jaguar and Qorikancha is at the heart of the jaguar, or heart of the city. Sacsayhuaman, the 2nd most sacred site is located in the head. The fact that ancient cultures could plan entire cities like that just amazes me.
There are so many intricate details in Incan architecture. And apparently the structure of Qorikancha has sacred lines that point in the direction of more than 300 sacred sites. Like, what? How? That’s pretty incredible.
The walls in and around the temple were covered in gold, but when the Spanish conquistadors came in the 16th century, they took the gold. The statue of Inti eventually disappeared and was never seen again–likely melted down for its gold.
Of the stolen gold, 70% went to the Vatican, 20% went to Spain and the Queen, and 10% was kept by the conquistadors. (If those numbers aren’t correct, it’s because that part of the tour was lost in translation.) But it was covered in gold and most of it was sent back to Spain.
The Spanish conquerers eventually built the Catholic Church of Santo Domingo on top of the structure and called it Convento de Santo Domingo.
Saqsayhuaman
Some of the largest Cusco ruins are Sacsayhuaman–of which our guide made sure we knew were pronounced like “sexy woman”. Sacsayhuaman is a fortress complex located on a hill overlooking Cusco.
What’s interesting about Incan architecture is the stone work. The stones were so intricately cut and shaped to fit together seamlessly. The vertical rock walls have no cracks and building anything was a process. Plus, some of the rocks are massive, the largest weighing in at an estimated 150-200 tons. You can find one of the biggest cuts of stone here.
Another interesting thing is the zigzag line of which the rocks are laid. They are supposed to represent the line of the mountains behind them and when the sun casts its shadow, it will look like mountains.
Along a different section of Sacsayhuaman is where you will find some natural rock slides. How they were formed, I have no idea. But it’s sort of like a natural playground for kids and a fun spot to check out.
Sacsayhuaman is open from 7am-6pm most days, so depending on the time of year, you might be able to go for sunset.
Q’enqo
Q’enqo was another temple built by the Incas that was an extremely holy site. It’s believed that rituals and mummifications took place here. There are carved canals that were meant for liquid–either water, corn beer or blood. Whichever way the liquid flowed was meant to determine if that person lived a good life or not.
The usage of this temple is a little dark and gruesome I think, though little is known for certain about it. The ruins themselves looked like a pile of rocks (forgive me) and for some reason I didn’t photograph the outside, only the inside of what might be a tomb of sorts.
Instead of getting more pictures of the tomb, I found a place to get Peruvian corn on the cob and got this gem of a picture instead. (Peruvian corn has huge kernels and it’s something you should try when visiting.)
Tambomachay
Tambomachay is another site where archeologists aren’t quite certain on the precise usage. The terraced rocks were a water source as there are aqueducts, canals and waterfalls throughout. But there’s also a watch tower here and it could have served as an outpost as well.
It’s also known as ‘El Baño del Inca’, which means ‘bath of the Inca’. So another theory is that this was actually used as an Incan spa, potentially for the ruler or nobility.
Puka Pukara
The ruins at Puka Pukara are assumed to be fortress or military ruins. These Cusco ruins make up a large fort on the hillside overlooking the valley. There are large walls and terraces throughout the ruins but I have to say that I didn’t hear very much of this part of the tour because as soon as we arrived, there was a rainbow in the valley. I ran off immediately.
I didn’t know how long the rainbow would last so I had to take the opportunity. It was probably one of the most well-timed things to happen. A rainbow over the Incan ruins! This is what photographers dream of.
These are some of my most favorite photos ever–and then this couple just happens to walk by with their umbrellas out and just STOPS for a second to look. It was the most perfect moment ever that I couldn’t have planned if I wanted to.
What I did learn about Puka Pukara later on was that the name translates to ‘red fortress’. The ‘red’ coming from the rocks used in construction, which are thought to be red instead of the grey color they have today.
The stones at Puka Pukara contrast here than at other nearby sites, because the stones are irregular in shape and poorly fit together. This indicates the fortress may have been built in a hurry because of imminent danger.
Check out these tours:
Seeing the Cusco ruins was a great way to spend the afternoon. The Incan culture is fascinating and you learn a lot of fun facts. Having a guided tour was the best way to go about it in my opinion. It’s definitely a fun thing to do in Cusco during your visit.
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