Wow!
It is hard to believe that today was our final day in
Cusco. As a group, we decided we’d spend our last day sightseeing, shopping,
and resting in preparation of our long journey home. We started with a visit to
the ancient citadel of Saksaywaman, located in the northern part of Cusco.
Saksaywaman (also Sacsayhuamán) is a Quechua word meaning “speckled
(or marbled) falcon,” because it was considered the falcon that guarded the
former capital of the Inca Empire. It is located on a hill overviewing the
city. The views there are absolutely breathtaking! Saksaywaman consists of a
large stone fortress constructed over a period of over 70 years. The walls are
composed of enormous stone blocks fitted perfectly together without the use of
mortar. Some of the stones exceed a height of 30 feet! Based on what we learned from one of our tour
guides earlier this week, we know that this was a holy place, because mortar
was not used when building the wall. It is commonly called a “Royal House of
the Sun,” because people would go there to worship the sun god and other lesser
deities. Each year, a Peruvian ceremony Inti Raymi (Quechua for “sun festival”)
is held at Saksaywaman on June 24 for the winter solstice—the shortest day of
the year in the Southern Hemisphere. Thousands of tourists from around the
world make the trip to Cusco and celebrate with music, costumes, and lots of
food.
Our next stop was to Qoricancha. It was once the most
important temple in the Inca Empire and was dedicate to Inti, the sun god. From
a bird’s eye view, the temple once resembled rays of sun shining in all
directions. Similar to Saksaywaman, the builders of the temple had mastered the
art of masonry, as demonstrated by their use of large stone blocks fitted
together without the use of mortar. Today, the stonework is all that remains. At
one time, the doors and interior of the temple were covered in gold sheets! Hundreds
of years ago, people came from near and far to participate in religious rites
at the temple, while high priests used the temple as an observatory. A gorgeous
courtyard is located at the very center. After the Spanish conquered the
empire, most of the temple was destroyed, and they used its foundation to build
a cathedral. The Santo Domingo church and monastery were built beside the
temple on higher ground to signify the Spanish conquest. Today, the upper level
houses displays of beautiful modern art.
Lastly, we visited an Indian market to buy souvenirs. The
market is home to aisles upon aisles of vendors selling everything from
paintings, jewelry, ceramics, scarves, hats, clothing, and toys. Afterwards, we
returned to the hotel, and we all packed up our belongings and prepared for our
morning departure.
~Kimberly Sanders