Another beautiful day in Cusco

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From Jack:

When I last left you I was out the door with the ladies waiting. Today I had planned a day of exploring the Pre-Colombian empire of the Incas. We walked up the hill just a block or two from our hostel and we found the base of the Incan steps that led to our first destination: Saqsaywaman. (You basically pronounce that like "sexy woman" with an accent.) Saqsaywaman is the closest ruins to the city, and one of the most important and impressive other than Macchu Picchu itself. On the way up we had to show our tourist ticket ($45 that is required to see anything in Cusco, the city´s one downside) and we were promptly greeted by a man named Josef who offered us a tour. After getting Puno´ed in Puno by the woman who overcharged us we were a little wary, but remembering similar offers that worked out well in Lima (Luiz!) and Arequipa (Carmen), we negotiated a fair price. Josef set off at the pace of a man used to mountain air, and we panted after him as he explained about the steps, the walls, and the water ducts to the side of the path. He was very attentive to our needs, and gave us some rests and more of the minty herb that we got on Taquille. We reached Saqsaywaman faster than we expected and we could not believe our eyes.

Saqsaywaman was the final military holdout before Cusco, and it was an imposing sight. A giant zig-zagging wall extended almost as far as you could see. The stones were HUGE, some of them 25 feet high and weighing hundreds of tons. They were made of limestone, brought from a quarry miles away. The blocks were carved to fit together with such perfect accuracy that they needed no cement nor mortar. The fact that they could be jostled and resettle in exactly the same perfect formation allowed them to survive the frequent earthquakes in Cusco, while the Spanish and even modern constructions have all been damaged or collapsed at some point (ironic, huh?). It was an impressive testament to the ancient ways, and we were all duly impressed. The jagged construction of the main wall served two purposes. Practically, it meant that an invading force could not attack the wall as a unified line and had to leave themselves open to flank attacks from above the wall. Symbolically, it represented the teeth of the puma. This was the sight of the final seige on Cusco by the Spanish conquistadores, and despite the Spaniard´s horses, guns, and armor, the warriors of Saqsaywaman held them off with only spears, bolas and their incredible walls. Eventually the Incas lost and the Spaniards destroyed them, which unfortunately seems to be the theme of anything involving the Incas. In fact, everything Josef showed us he described both in terms of what we could see now, and what was there before it was "destroyed by Espanish."

But even though much of the original stone had been removed to build Spanish colonial churches and houses in the city, there was plenty to see. Josef explained that the three tiers of the ruins represented the condor (top), the puma (middle) and the serpent (bottom), which symbolized in Incan mytholgy, respectively, the heavens, the earth, and the underworld. He showed us little secrets that we would have missed on our own such as a fossel of a shell in the limestone, a tiny carving of a snake on the lowest level, the place where the most corners fit together, and special doors that opened exactly into the rising sun. We walked up the ancient steps, meandered around the ruins, and ended on top of the structure. From there we got a breathtaking view of the entire city of Cusco, both old and new sections, the Cristo Blanco that overlooks the city, and the entire Saqsaywaman ruins. We could see the foundations of the barracks and houses of the soldiers and priests of Saqsaywaman and the Temple of the Sun. The name "Saqsaywaman" means "satisfied falcon," and I could certainly see why any falcon spirit would be happy with the structure.

We learned that the city of Cusco is laid out like a puma, one of the most important animals in Incan mythology. Saqsaywaman is the head, and we could see the Plaza de Armas, which denotes the navel/center of the city, and the way the old streets come together in a point at the puma´s tail. It reinforced very strongly that the Inca people were not the savages that the Spanish assumed, but an advanced civilization complete with city planning. As with so much else in Peru, the Spanish did their best to replace the native culture, but other than Catholicism and the language you can really see that the Inca are still the name of the game around here. (Actually, many people still speak the old Inca languages too once you step outside the cities.)

We planned our day to be (literally) downhill from Saqsaywaman, so after some lunch we checked out the Musèo Inka (The Inca Museum). On the first floor there was a lot of broken pottery and scraps of cloth, so we figured that´s what we were going to see there. There were some nice tiny ceramic miniatures that were offered as offerings to gods and such. But about 2/3 through things got much more dramatic, including very advanced weaponry, skulls that showed were brain surgery had been performed, and some intensely creepy mummies. There were not the peaceful looking mummies laid out like they´re sleeping like the Egyptians. These were huddled in the fetal position in corners and giant pots, and they looked like Edvard Munch´s "The Scream." We learned later that people were buried in caves in the fetal position as a way of returning them to the womb of Pacamama (literally "Mother Earth"). The people were buried in a manner that denoted their occupation in life and the afterlife (the ones in pots were potters). Gruesomely, sometimes people were drugged and placed in their airtight cave before they were actually dead, which might explain the screaming faces. And the airtightness preserved the mummies in all their glory. It was pretty terrifying. Unfortunately there were no pictures allowed and no postcards or anything to sell, so I have no way of showing this, but believe me it was a sight I´ll never forget.

After some dinner we met with a dude from a white water rafting agency to set up a tour for tomorrow! It promises to be cold, but after missing our chance (and still having to pay) in Arequipa, we are excited, especially Devin!

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Comments

[Sheri]

WOW
That sounds like such a terrific day. I hardly know what to think of it all. The history you were able to stand in and explore. I am blown away.