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Sacsayhuaman Review
Read our Cusco and Machu Picchu sights reviews. Or post your own.
Sacsayhuamán 
- Address: Km 2, Hwy. to Pisac, Cusco
- Phone: no phone
- Category: Archaeological Sites
- Location: Cusco
Fodor's Review:
Dominating a hilltop north of the city are the ruins of the massive military complex of Sacsayhuamán, perhaps the most important Inca monument after Machu Picchu. The center seems to have served both religious and military ends, with zigzag walls and cross-fire parapets that allowed defenders to rain destruction on attackers from two sides. Sacsayhuamán is thought to have been a network of buildings and streets that could house up to 10,000 people at its peak. Tradition holds that the Inca designed Cusco in the image of a puma, the animal representation of the Earth in the indigenous cosmos. Sacsayhuamán symbolized the animal's head, and its jagged walls, the teeth. Construction of the site began in the 1440s, during the reign of the Inca Pachacutec. Indigenous chroniclers told that 20,000 workers were needed for Sacsayhuamán's construction, cutting the astonishingly massive limestone, diorite, and andesite blocks -- the largest is 361 tons -- rolling them to the site, and assembling them in traditional Inca style to achieve a perfect fit without mortar. The probable translation of Sacsayhuamán, "city of stone," seems apt. The Inca Manco Capac II, installed as puppet ruler after the conquest, retook the fortress and led a mutiny against Juan Pizarro and the Spanish in 1536. Fighting raged for 10 months in a valiant but unsuccessful bid by the Inca to reclaim their empire. History records that thousands of corpses from both sides littered the grounds and were devoured by condors at the end of the battle.
Today only the outer walls remain of the original fortress city, which the Spanish tore down after the rebellion and then ransacked for years as a source of construction materials for their new city down the hill, a practice that continued until the mid-20th century. Only one-fifth of the original complex is left; nonetheless, the site is impressive. Sacsayhuamán's three original towers, used for provisions, no longer stand, though the foundations of two are still visible. The so-called Inca's Throne, the Suchuna, remains, presumed used by the emperor for reviewing troops. Today those parade grounds, the Explanada, are the ending point for the June 24 Inti Raymi festival of the sun, commemorating the winter solstice and Cusco's most famous celebration.
These closest Inca ruins to Cusco make a straightforward half-day trip from the city, and provide the quintessential postcard view over Cusco's orange rooftops. If you don't have a car, the easiest way to get here is to take a taxi, but if you're feeling truly fit, the ruins are a steep 45-minute walk up from the Plaza de Armas. A large map at both entrances shows the layout of Sacsayhuamán, but once you enter, signage and explanation are minimal. Self-appointed guides populate the entrances and can give you a two-hour tour for S/30. Most are competent and knowledgable, but depending on their perspective you'll get a strictly historic, strictly mystical, strictly architectural, or all-of-the-above type tour. (But all work the standard joke into their spiel that the name of the site is pronounced "sexy woman.")
It is theoretically possible to sneak into Sacsayhuamán after hours, but lighting is poor, surfaces are uneven, and robberies have occurred at night. Stick to regular opening hours.
- Cost: Boleto Turístico
- Open: Daily 7-6
Member Reviews & Ratings:
A must see....
Posted by corrego from Canada / Lima on 6/21/07
This is an amazing fortress, a must see!!
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