Peru’s Saksaywaman, Echoes from an Ancient Fortress

Imagine an age-old walled complex in an ancient city breathing of a civilization gone by. The famous fortress called Sacsayhuaman in Peru is a living symbol of the Inca Empire. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ruins in the town of Cusco, tell a story of a people, of a civilization, of a culture from long ago.

 

What’s The Inca Empire?

The Inca Empire was the largest empire in America going back to early 13^th century before the influences of European colonizers came into the continent. Cusco was the seat of administrative, political and military power of the empire.

The Story Behind The Monument

Situated at an altitude of 12,000 feet, the complex offers a spectacular view of the valley. With its strategic location, it was an important military spot in its time. Archeologists believe that what is now a campus of walls and ruins was once a towering structure. Unfortunately, much of this remarkable monument was destroyed over the years of Spanish colonization.

The plaza is actually capable of holding some thousands of people, suggesting the area was used for ceremonial activities and rituals. The relics found from the region imply that the earliest that the hill top has seen civilization is at least a millennium ago.

 

The Ancient Architecture

The Incas had a signature style of construction as shown in their stonework techniques using large polished dry stone walls, with boulders cut to fit together very tightly without using any mortar. It is said that the stones used here are among the largest used in any structure in pre-Hispanic America. The construction was carried out on a massive scale and used hundreds of men, supervised by Inca architects, to get everything together.

But this work was carried out with so much precision, that it is said to have helped the ruins survive devastating earthquakes in the region.

Unfortunately, after the Spanish occupation of Cusco, the Spaniards started using Saksaywaman as a source of stones for building their government and religious structures. Inevitably, within a few years a large part of the complex was ruined.