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We take you by bus to the Coricancha temple, the most important temple during the Inca Empire, then we will continue with Sacsayhuaman, the most amazing Inca stone. Then we continue to the caves of Qenqo. Where the Incas performed their sacrifices for their gods. It could also be a chamber of human sacrifices that Incas carried out human sacrifices as well. Then we continue to Pucapucara a red-colored construction that the Incas used as a point of control. The last one to visit will be Tambomachay where you will find beautiful water sources where the Inca king used to spend his days of relaxation and meditation. In the end, we will return to Cusco around 2:00 p.m. It is a tour that will help you to understand better The Inca Capital of Cusco and its surroundings, and it is also a preamble to begin to know everything we have as a city.
START: 9 AM ó 2 PM
ENDS : 2 PM ó 7 PM
Places to visit:
INCLUDES :
NOT INCLUDED:
Coricancha from the Quechua word Quri: gold y kancha: enclosure or temple, '' Golden Enclosure '' was the most important temple during the Inca Empire.
Pachacutec, the Inca who began the expansionist period of the Inca, ordered its construction. Built with the finest stonework - green diorite, red and gray andesite - and Inca metallurgy, immense gold-plated walls and decorated with fine gold and silver objects, it was the political-religious focal point. The modality to design this center of power and project its domain was through the very original system of ceques.
The ceques were forty-one imaginary lines that from the nucleus of the Golden Enclosure opened radially in all directions to organize the ordering of the main cult and that of all regions, urban planning of the city, territorial expansionist design -geographic and social ordering.
From the Coricancha, the ceques regulated the sacred places throughout the region, more than three hundred shrines (huacas) located more than ten kilometers around. These huacas were sources of water, hills or huancas-sacred places originating from the ancestors.
A good part of these huacas fulfilled the functions of astronomical observatories, whose information was recorded and converged in the oracular nucleus of the Coricancha. The centralized information was collected by a priesthood of men and women guardians / messengers of the ancestors and of the gods whose altars resided in the Coricancha. They translated the information received into predictions and omens, which in turn was the input to formulate the when, where and how of the ritual ceremonies, the quantity and quality of the offerings and to whom it corresponded to donate them. That is, a whole state government plan dictated by the planets and stars.
Coricancha is perhaps the most important structure that existed in the time of the Incas. This enclosure contains many small temples dedicated to various deities that were destroyed by the Spanish to build, on the original foundation, the convent of Santo Domingo in 1540. However, some parts of the original architecture remain. Coricancha was built on top of a small hill since they knew that Cusco was a swamp millions of years ago and also because they wanted to be closer to their god, the Sun.
In this temple there are finely carved terraces decorated with life-size carved plants of quinoa, potato and corn. They also built fountains dedicated exclusively to ceremonies and rituals.
You will also find enclosures dedicated to various deities such as the rainbow, thunder, moon, and stars. It is also important to note that Coricancha is lined up to capture the sunrise on June 21 and the solstice on December 22.
In Coricancha there is a symmetrical trapezoidal door between the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Stars that is also aligned in relation to the sunrise. It is like a sacred path for the sun.
In the central part of this beautiful place there is a square where many rituals dedicated to water were performed. Following that intention, a small stone in the shape of a basin was carved by indigenous hands. The inhabitants of these places, priests, astronomers and princesses, would gather here to perform their group ceremonies.
It is said that in the part that is considered the room of the Sun, there was a statue of the supreme god made of pure gold and that the sun on the most important day would emit light to the entire city.
Coricancha was one of the most beautiful temples of the Inca period. Mortar was not used in the construction of the walls. They rely solely on the perfect placement and alignment of each stone. This is analogous to the love and unity of a common intention that existed during the time of the Incas.
2 kilometers from Cusco, on top of a mountain, rises Sacsaywaman, at a height that dominates the entire city. The complex was built by the Incas in the 15th century, particularly under Pachacuti and his successors. Workers carefully cut the boulders to fit tightly without mortar.
The site is at an altitude of 3,701 m (12,142 ft). The long zigzagging walls of more than 300 meters, which border its 3 levels of terraces, are built with huge stone monoliths, some of which are more than 9 meters high and their weight is estimated at more than 100 tons. These huge monoliths are perfectly nested next to each other and, even more surprising, one on top of the other. Added to the power and majesty that this megalithic Inca building transmits is the enigma of its construction.
According to the chroniclers, Cusco was designed following the representation of a puma. Sacsaywaman, "satisfied puma" in Quechua, was the head of the sacred animal and the highest expression of the hanan sector (high Cusco), where public ceremonies were held. Surrounded by the apus (sacred mountains) Pachatusan, Ausangate, and Cinca. It was made up of terraces, cemeteries, shrines, ritual fountains, artificial lagoons, tanks, slides or rollers, astronomical observatories and underground passages, according to the legends of the locals, leading to the Qoricancha, which would come to be the belly or genitals of the puma.
In 1983, Cusco and Sacsayhuamán together were designated as sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, for international recognition and protection.
Kenko or Qenqo, in Quechua Q'inqu (‘labyrinth’) is an archaeological center located 2 km from the city of Cuzco, in Peru at 3,580 meters above sea level.
These are not exactly ruins, because Qenqo is one of the best examples of that Inca seal: the great rock carved in situ. It is an eroded limestone outcrop, full of fissures, all cleverly carved to utilize the natural shape of the rock. To the north we find an amphitheater with 19 niches built around the base, all that remains of a high wall centered on a tall rock. Perhaps it was a phallic symbol or a seated puma (the conquerors erased its original form) and it was evidently the focus of some religious cult.
Qenqo was a Waca, a sanctuary. Inside its caves we find large niches and what looks like an altar. The first chroniclers mention caves around the city where the mummies of the lesser royalty were kept in niches along with gold and precious objects. This was almost certainly one of them.
Some stone steps lead to the top of the rock, where there are more enigmatic carvings: the zig-zag channels (p'aqchas) that give the place its name, which were used to carry chicha, or perhaps sacrificial blood, for purposes divination; and a pair of thick studs, reminiscent of bollards used to tie up an unfamiliar ship. To the left (west) of these studs, on the edge of the outcrop, look for the carved figure of a cougar and a now headless bird, perhaps a condor. Towards the eastern edge of the rock stands a foot-tall carved house.
At the end of this immense rock, there are several pieces that were used in astronomy activities that calculated the next feast of the sun. They were facing the direction of sunrise.
Qenqo chico, the Qenqo outcrop is also heavily carved at the top and is surrounded by a thin retaining wall.
The archaeological group of Pukapukara is located 7 km away. From the city of Cusco at an altitude of 3,580 meters above sea level and it is on the paved road that leads to Pisaq.
Pukapukara means Red Fortress; The strength comes from the location of the group and the existence of a semicircular environment; and it is red because of the color of the earth in the place. The name was given to it in the present century.
Most likely, Pukapukara was a Tambo rather than a fortress, a kind of post where travelers stayed and merchandise, animals, etc. were temporarily housed.
Towards the western side of the complex there is the facade of the architectural complex, on a free area like a small square, on the opposite side of the building it rises to a considerable height from the floor due to the unevenness of the terrain. Its location is always optimally convenient, it dominates a large territory and there was clearly communication with the Tambomachay tower, which is one km away. In Pukapukara there are enclosures, interior squares, baths, aqueducts, watchtowers and an easily recognizable old road. The buildings are made of medium to small stones, the external surface of the polyhedra is slightly rough unlike other architectural groups. The urban layout is extremely adequate and functional.
Tambomachay is 8 kilometers from the city of Cusco, one kilometer from Pukapukara, at 3,700 m.s.m.m. Tambo corresponds to collective accommodation with everything necessary to house many people who will live for a short time. Machay means resting place more or less. The name comes from the incan.
This place is popularly called the "Inca Bath". It is a fairly well preserved example of a site for ritual baths and perhaps a water cult. We know that the Incas revered water as one of the main elements of life and practiced devotional ablutions frequently. Here, where a spring emerges from the hillside, the Incas built a series of three waterfalls, channeling them painstakingly through fine stone courses. Certainly the site was less bare and desolate in times past than it is today. It was probably surrounded by trees, shrubs, and ornamental gardens.
Note an element of mystery in the location of the spring itself. The slope behind it is simply not high or large enough to provide that much water, it is supposed to enter underground from the opposite mountain, through a natural U-shaped conduit.
As its name implies, this place was a resting area for the Inca. There, he would go hunting for pleasure, as deer were common in the surrounding areas. The Inca asked them to bring water from this fountain to the city, to drink it for its healing qualities and because it was said that it was also a fountain of youth.
The set is preceded by a solid wall made of large well-fitted stones with a somewhat rough surface. In front of the main building, on the eastern side of the complex, there is a tower with a circular plan, unfortunately it is incomplete in its upper portion, due to its location, whoever sees it, categorically believes that it had defense and communication purposes.
We take you by bus to the Coricancha temple, the most important temple during the Inca Empire, then we will continue with Sacsayhuaman, the most amazing Inca stone. Then we continue to the caves of Qenqo. Where the Incas performed their sacrifices for their gods. It could also be a chamber of human sacrifices that Incas carried out human sacrifices as well. Then we continue to Pucapucara a red-colored construction that the Incas used as a point of control. The last one to visit will be Tambomachay where you will find beautiful water sources where the Inca king used to spend his days of relaxation and meditation. In the end, we will return to Cusco around 2:00 p.m. It is a tour that will help you to understand better The Inca Capital of Cusco and its surroundings, and it is also a preamble to begin to know everything we have as a city.
START: 9 AM ó 2 PM
ENDS : 2 PM ó 7 PM
Places to visit:
INCLUDES :
NOT INCLUDED:
Coricancha from the Quechua word Quri: gold y kancha: enclosure or temple, '' Golden Enclosure '' was the most important temple during the Inca Empire.
Pachacutec, the Inca who began the expansionist period of the Inca, ordered its construction. Built with the finest stonework - green diorite, red and gray andesite - and Inca metallurgy, immense gold-plated walls and decorated with fine gold and silver objects, it was the political-religious focal point. The modality to design this center of power and project its domain was through the very original system of ceques.
The ceques were forty-one imaginary lines that from the nucleus of the Golden Enclosure opened radially in all directions to organize the ordering of the main cult and that of all regions, urban planning of the city, territorial expansionist design -geographic and social ordering.
From the Coricancha, the ceques regulated the sacred places throughout the region, more than three hundred shrines (huacas) located more than ten kilometers around. These huacas were sources of water, hills or huancas-sacred places originating from the ancestors.
A good part of these huacas fulfilled the functions of astronomical observatories, whose information was recorded and converged in the oracular nucleus of the Coricancha. The centralized information was collected by a priesthood of men and women guardians / messengers of the ancestors and of the gods whose altars resided in the Coricancha. They translated the information received into predictions and omens, which in turn was the input to formulate the when, where and how of the ritual ceremonies, the quantity and quality of the offerings and to whom it corresponded to donate them. That is, a whole state government plan dictated by the planets and stars.
Coricancha is perhaps the most important structure that existed in the time of the Incas. This enclosure contains many small temples dedicated to various deities that were destroyed by the Spanish to build, on the original foundation, the convent of Santo Domingo in 1540. However, some parts of the original architecture remain. Coricancha was built on top of a small hill since they knew that Cusco was a swamp millions of years ago and also because they wanted to be closer to their god, the Sun.
In this temple there are finely carved terraces decorated with life-size carved plants of quinoa, potato and corn. They also built fountains dedicated exclusively to ceremonies and rituals.
You will also find enclosures dedicated to various deities such as the rainbow, thunder, moon, and stars. It is also important to note that Coricancha is lined up to capture the sunrise on June 21 and the solstice on December 22.
In Coricancha there is a symmetrical trapezoidal door between the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Stars that is also aligned in relation to the sunrise. It is like a sacred path for the sun.
In the central part of this beautiful place there is a square where many rituals dedicated to water were performed. Following that intention, a small stone in the shape of a basin was carved by indigenous hands. The inhabitants of these places, priests, astronomers and princesses, would gather here to perform their group ceremonies.
It is said that in the part that is considered the room of the Sun, there was a statue of the supreme god made of pure gold and that the sun on the most important day would emit light to the entire city.
Coricancha was one of the most beautiful temples of the Inca period. Mortar was not used in the construction of the walls. They rely solely on the perfect placement and alignment of each stone. This is analogous to the love and unity of a common intention that existed during the time of the Incas.
2 kilometers from Cusco, on top of a mountain, rises Sacsaywaman, at a height that dominates the entire city. The complex was built by the Incas in the 15th century, particularly under Pachacuti and his successors. Workers carefully cut the boulders to fit tightly without mortar.
The site is at an altitude of 3,701 m (12,142 ft). The long zigzagging walls of more than 300 meters, which border its 3 levels of terraces, are built with huge stone monoliths, some of which are more than 9 meters high and their weight is estimated at more than 100 tons. These huge monoliths are perfectly nested next to each other and, even more surprising, one on top of the other. Added to the power and majesty that this megalithic Inca building transmits is the enigma of its construction.
According to the chroniclers, Cusco was designed following the representation of a puma. Sacsaywaman, "satisfied puma" in Quechua, was the head of the sacred animal and the highest expression of the hanan sector (high Cusco), where public ceremonies were held. Surrounded by the apus (sacred mountains) Pachatusan, Ausangate, and Cinca. It was made up of terraces, cemeteries, shrines, ritual fountains, artificial lagoons, tanks, slides or rollers, astronomical observatories and underground passages, according to the legends of the locals, leading to the Qoricancha, which would come to be the belly or genitals of the puma.
In 1983, Cusco and Sacsayhuamán together were designated as sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, for international recognition and protection.
Kenko or Qenqo, in Quechua Q'inqu (‘labyrinth’) is an archaeological center located 2 km from the city of Cuzco, in Peru at 3,580 meters above sea level.
These are not exactly ruins, because Qenqo is one of the best examples of that Inca seal: the great rock carved in situ. It is an eroded limestone outcrop, full of fissures, all cleverly carved to utilize the natural shape of the rock. To the north we find an amphitheater with 19 niches built around the base, all that remains of a high wall centered on a tall rock. Perhaps it was a phallic symbol or a seated puma (the conquerors erased its original form) and it was evidently the focus of some religious cult.
Qenqo was a Waca, a sanctuary. Inside its caves we find large niches and what looks like an altar. The first chroniclers mention caves around the city where the mummies of the lesser royalty were kept in niches along with gold and precious objects. This was almost certainly one of them.
Some stone steps lead to the top of the rock, where there are more enigmatic carvings: the zig-zag channels (p'aqchas) that give the place its name, which were used to carry chicha, or perhaps sacrificial blood, for purposes divination; and a pair of thick studs, reminiscent of bollards used to tie up an unfamiliar ship. To the left (west) of these studs, on the edge of the outcrop, look for the carved figure of a cougar and a now headless bird, perhaps a condor. Towards the eastern edge of the rock stands a foot-tall carved house.
At the end of this immense rock, there are several pieces that were used in astronomy activities that calculated the next feast of the sun. They were facing the direction of sunrise.
Qenqo chico, the Qenqo outcrop is also heavily carved at the top and is surrounded by a thin retaining wall.
The archaeological group of Pukapukara is located 7 km away. From the city of Cusco at an altitude of 3,580 meters above sea level and it is on the paved road that leads to Pisaq.
Pukapukara means Red Fortress; The strength comes from the location of the group and the existence of a semicircular environment; and it is red because of the color of the earth in the place. The name was given to it in the present century.
Most likely, Pukapukara was a Tambo rather than a fortress, a kind of post where travelers stayed and merchandise, animals, etc. were temporarily housed.
Towards the western side of the complex there is the facade of the architectural complex, on a free area like a small square, on the opposite side of the building it rises to a considerable height from the floor due to the unevenness of the terrain. Its location is always optimally convenient, it dominates a large territory and there was clearly communication with the Tambomachay tower, which is one km away. In Pukapukara there are enclosures, interior squares, baths, aqueducts, watchtowers and an easily recognizable old road. The buildings are made of medium to small stones, the external surface of the polyhedra is slightly rough unlike other architectural groups. The urban layout is extremely adequate and functional.
Tambomachay is 8 kilometers from the city of Cusco, one kilometer from Pukapukara, at 3,700 m.s.m.m. Tambo corresponds to collective accommodation with everything necessary to house many people who will live for a short time. Machay means resting place more or less. The name comes from the incan.
This place is popularly called the "Inca Bath". It is a fairly well preserved example of a site for ritual baths and perhaps a water cult. We know that the Incas revered water as one of the main elements of life and practiced devotional ablutions frequently. Here, where a spring emerges from the hillside, the Incas built a series of three waterfalls, channeling them painstakingly through fine stone courses. Certainly the site was less bare and desolate in times past than it is today. It was probably surrounded by trees, shrubs, and ornamental gardens.
Note an element of mystery in the location of the spring itself. The slope behind it is simply not high or large enough to provide that much water, it is supposed to enter underground from the opposite mountain, through a natural U-shaped conduit.
As its name implies, this place was a resting area for the Inca. There, he would go hunting for pleasure, as deer were common in the surrounding areas. The Inca asked them to bring water from this fountain to the city, to drink it for its healing qualities and because it was said that it was also a fountain of youth.
The set is preceded by a solid wall made of large well-fitted stones with a somewhat rough surface. In front of the main building, on the eastern side of the complex, there is a tower with a circular plan, unfortunately it is incomplete in its upper portion, due to its location, whoever sees it, categorically believes that it had defense and communication purposes.
