Malone Travels (London/Paris, Yucatan, Peru): 7 attractions in 7 hours (Part 1)

So earlier I mentioned our morning yesterday, but I didn't mention our activities. After we got into the Taxi, we proceeded to the four ruins closest to the Cuzco city center. Our poor Spanish made us think that we were going to the closest first, but we quickly figured out that we were actually going to the farthest first and then tracking back... presumably to avoid the gigantic tourist buses, which are everywhere around the ruins. Also, Australians and Japanese tourists are everywhere, with a few British and German. It doesn't seem like there are many American tourists at all.

Many of these ruins (6 of 7) required a Boleto de Touristico, which we bought in Cuzco for 130 soles per person. We weren't particularly happy about paying this much since it was only 70 soles last year and I (Eric) am a student, but students over 25 don't count.... lame.

Anyway, after seeing some of these ruins, we felt like the cost was worth it. Our first site was Tambomachay, which was about 5 miles from the Cuzco city center. Tambomachay means "resort" and is related to the worship of water. Apparently Incan royalty would regularly visit the site as it's known as the "baths of the princess." It has two aqueducts that provide spring water year-round as well as water fountains that used gravity and pressurized water to force it out of small holes. The hydraulic systems built by the Incas were far superior to anything the Spanish had to offer. This site, like many of the sites, had terraces for farming on the steep hillside. This site was located along a well-traveled Incan road which brings us to the next ruin.

Puka Pukara, or the Red Fortress, is located about a mile from Tambomacay. It functioned as housing for servants and military personnel of the royalty that visited Tambomachay. It was positioned on a large hill and contained "defense" terraces as well as farming terraces. It had a food warehouse, aqueducts, cascading water springs and a double-threshold entrance. It also functioned as a watchtower.

Part of Puka Pukara with Tambomachay in the background

Q'enqo is about two miles from Cuzco. It was originally thought to be a "stone mine" for the much larger ruins of Saqsaywaman nearby. However, it seems that Q'enko was actually used for religious ceremonies and activities. It has an outdoor amphitheater and several monoliths as well as an underground cave/gallery. Some of the site was defaced/destroyed by the Spanish, trying to prevent idolatry (lol.)

Saqsaywaman is the fourth and largest site close to Cuzco. It's gigantic. It's incredible. It's pronounced "sexy woman." We probably spent 1.5 - 2 hours here yesterday. When we arrived at the site (which you can see from Cuzco), we were greeted by a guide offering her services for 30 soles (about $10), we agreed and it was probably the best $10 (+tip) spent thus far. Our guide, Jenny, spoke English very well, but asked us to help her if she was wrong. She explained the religious/social significance of the site which held huge ceremonies and was a center for astronomy and time-telling. Apparently the Inca built their cities and ceremonial sites in shapes of animals, the Llama representing the earth and the peoples' connection to it, the snake representing knowledge, the Jaguar (or Puma as they call it) representing the mountains, and the frog representing fertility. Many of these animals are built into the walls of Saqsaywaman with shaped stones... they literally carved 10-50 ton boulders into the shape of animals and put them into a wall. They also carved ledges into the rocks in order to tell time based on the seasons. Our guide told us they they had people stationed at these rocks all the time. There must have been hundreds of people watching rocks here. Time-telling was very significant to the Incas. Basically they believed that they could bring about perfect harmony between humans and nature by telling time and by utilizing nature to their advantage, i.e. storing up enough food for the winter, ensuring that all citizens are fed, etc. Generally, the Incas were the builders and the political people and the other pre-inca cultures and peoples were more spiritually connected. Toward the end of our tour, our guide asked us if we wanted to go through the tunnel. We agreed, not thinking much of it. Apparently, the tunnel is an underground passage about 30m long, and pitch-black. Amy was apparently squatting, not knowing that the tunnel was, besides a point or two, about 5' tall.