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Driving Into
Sacsayhuaman
(Saqsaywaman) Peru
Travels And Tours
Pictures, Photos, Images, & Reviews.
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George & Eve DeLange

Google Map To Sacsayhuaman or Saqsaywaman, Near Cusco, Peru

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Sacsayhuaman Ruins

Sacsayhuaman Ruins

Sacsayhuaman Ruins Archaeological Site Map

Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman); pronounced - "sexy woman", is located in the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman ( Parque Arqueológico de Sacsayhuamán ) located to the north of Cusco (Qosqo). The park embraces 3,000 hectares approximately, where you can see a rich Andean flora and fauna, including llamas, kestrels and hawks. It also contains many archaeological monuments.
Sacsayhuaman in the Quechua language means "satisfied falcon", it was this "falcon" that guarded the capital of the empire, since it was possible to overlook all of Cusco from the hill where it was built. It is known that Cusco was designed into the shape of a lying down puma. Thus, Sacsayhuamán would be the puma's head.
Because Sacsayhuamán is hard for foreigners to pronounce, the locals tell tourists to refer to Sacsayhuamán ruins as "Sexy Woman."
This colossal and monumental structure known today as Saqsaywaman, was known as the "House of the Sun" during the Inca era, before the arrival of the Spaniards in 1535.
Sacsayhuamán is usually described as a fortress because it is practically enclosed by three slopes. However, modern investigations suggest that it probably was a temple devoted to the worship of the Sun, for which both the construction and the surrounding landscape alignments were important.
Sacsayhuaman is made up of four sections called; The Rampart Section, The Tower Section, The Rodadero Section, and The Labyrinth Section.
**The Rampart Section or wall is the most impressive section, built with enormous carved limestone boulders, this design forms a broken line that faces the main plaza called Chuquipampa which is on a slope with 25 angles and 60 walls.
The largest carved boulder of the first wall weighs about 70 tons and was brought from a quarry called Sisicancha, about three kilometers away. Each wall is made of 10 faces, with the most important ones known as; Rumipunco, Tiupunku, Achuanpunku and Viracocha Punku.
**The Tower Section, towers are located on the hill of Saqsaywaman and are of three different shapes, the most tower is called Muyucmarca, whose foundations are round and with three concentric circles and underground waterways. According to the chronicler Garcilaso, the towers were covered with golden plates and connected by underground tunnels. The other towers are Pucamarca and Sallaqmarca.
**The Rodadero Section is located opposite the hill of the fortress. This section is made up of diorite rock of igneous origin, where there are waterways, carved rocks, and the so - called throne of the Incas, which can be accessed by a series of carved stairs.
**The Labyrinth Section is made of Chincanas (labyrinths); which are wavy tunnels that were formed by erosion from underground water, which were later modified by the Incas. There are two Chincanas, the big one and the small one in which we find many carved rocks of different geometric shapes.
There are several doorways connecting the different levels of Sacsayhuamán by several staircases. One doorway is the "Tiupunco Door" (tiu means door) whis is located in the wall with the largest stones. The second doorway is called "Acahuana Puncu", and the third doorway is "Huiracocha Puncu" (in honor of the god Huiracocha).
The inner area or main precinct is made up of three large terraces, which were leveled and flattened. Several buildings and three large towers were built upon these terraces. The towers on the east side of Sacsayhuamán are "Paucar Marca" (Precious Precinct), in the middle is "Sallac Marca" (Precinct with Water) and to the west is "Muyu Marca" (Round Precinct). The first two had rectangular floors about 60 feet wide and were essentially warrior's barracks. Today there are only a few slight vestiges of Paucar Marca, and only the foundations of Sallac Marca survive. These remains indicate that they were of rectangular-floor construction. The towers had triangular slanted ceilings.
The Muyu Marca Tower or the "Tower Of Cahuide," is a cylindrical tower that was a building with four superemposed floors. The first had a square floor; the second cylindrical; the third also was cylindrical in shape. The tower had a cone shaped ceiling. Muyu Marca had a height of about 60 feet. Muyu Marca , an imperial residence, had lavish inner chambers and a constant supply of fresh water carried up through subterranean channels. The Spaniards destroyed it, despite protests from both Cieza and Inca Garcilaso.
It was at Muyu Marca where the strongest indigenous resistance occured against the Spanish conquerors during the rebellion of Manco Inca. Titu Cusi Huallpa (also called Cahuide) jumped from Muyu Marca's highest point to avoid being captured by his enemies.
The other two towers - Salla Marca and Paunca Marca - had rectangular bases about 20m long. All three towers were painted in bright colors, had thatched roofs, and were interconnected by underground passages: the inner fortress could have housed as many as ten thousand people under siege.
There are only a few remains of the ancient buildings erected on the terraces of the complex. Between the Muyu Marca and Sallac Marca towers there was an enlarged square. On the highest terrace there are a circular well that could have been a reservoir, and a one-door rectangular building. Generally, the entire complex shows traces of an excellent water supply system for its inhabitants, as well as a drainage system for rain water.

We were at Sacsayhuaman at about 4:15 PM on the afternoon of April 18, 2006.

The first choice of where to go in order to visit Sacsayhuaman, near Cusco, Peru is to fly in to Cusco, Peru.
The Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (IATA: CUZ, ICAO: SPZO) is located in the city of Cusco, in southeastern Peru. Cusco is a principal tourist attraction in Latin America, and it receives various domestic flights as well as some international flights.
There are several really nice hotels in Cusco.

We found that when touring Peru, Magical Cusco Tours gave us the best service of all. They even arranged very personal tours based upon our ages and experience. They were there for us whenever we needed them.
We have links to Magical Cusco Tours on our page so that they can arrange your tours of Sacsayhuaman, near Cusco, and the surrounding areas.
Click on any of their links on our pages and they will give you a 4% discount for taking their package tours. Mention delange.org. Merchant Code Inka2010 for your discount! We suggest letting Ana Maria handle your tour.
Note: The 4% discount applies to package tours only! Discount does not apply to hotel bookings, domestic or international tickets, meals or any other service booked as a single activity.

Magical Cusco Tours also has a culinary tour that you may enjoy.Click Here For: Taste Of Peru.com their culinary tour page.

We also have links to Priceline.Com on our pages, in case you may prefer to use their services.

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Parque Arqueológico de Sacsayhuamán Can Be Seen From Cusco Note: Cristo Con Los Brazos Extendidos	Parque Arqueológico de Sacsayhuamán Photo From Sacsayhuamán Ruins Cristo Con Los Brazos Extendidos


Sacsayhuamán Note: Christ With Extended Arms	Sacsayhuaman Ruins

Saqsaywaman Archaeology Dig	Photo From Sacsayhuamán Ruins Cristo Con Los Brazos Extendidos

Saqsaywaman Llama On The Ruins	Saqsaywaman Women And Children With Their Llama On The Ruins

Peruvian Child At Sacsayhuaman We Go Up The Trail Later	We Start Up To Sacsayhuaman

Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.	Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.

Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.	Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.

Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.	Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.

Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.	Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.

Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.	Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.

Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.	Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman) Peru.

Sacsayhuaman Throne Of The Inca	Muyu Marca Tower Or The "Tower Of Cahuide", Foundation

The Builders Like Placing Images Into Their Walls Do You See The Serpent?	Our Sacsayhuamán Guide Juan Eloy Comejo Gonzales [email protected]