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Published: September 9th 2022
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This morning, we left Puno behind for another day of travel. Our destination was Cuzco, and all the Inca wonders associated with the area.
Not long after leaving Puno we had the dubious pleasure of driving through Juliaca, which we were told was the ugliest city in Peru. The reason for this seems to be that the residents have, for generations, dedicated themselves to the pursuit of money by embracing the black market in all its forms. Apparently, they specialize in creating fake luxury label items of every kind. But none of the profits are being used for infrastructure or improving the city, which remains mostly a place of dirty roads and unremarkable architecture.
The main event of the day was the stop at the ruins of the Temple of Viracocha who was one of the most important deities of the Inca Empire, the creator of the world.
Our arrival at the small village adjacent to the ruins was after lunch. It was another day that was warmer than anticipated. I hope I never again underestimate the power of sunlight at a high elevation. There was a short stop at the village's Plaza for a bathroom break and
a quick peak at the small church before entering the archeological complex.
Located at 11,351 feet above sea level on the slopes of the volcano Quimsachata, the complex of Raqch'i is enclosed by a 4 km-long perimeter wall, and consists of several different areas each designated with a specific function, religious, administrative, and military.
The most prominent building was the Viracocha Temple. This enormous structure stands over 302 feet long and 84 feet wide. It is a two story construction with windows and doors and a central adobe wall roughly 60-65 feet in height. On each side of the structure there is a row of 11 columns, built to support the building. Before its destruction by the Spaniards, the temple had what is believed to be the largest single gable roof in the Incan Empire, with its peak at the central wall, then stretching over the columns and some 82 feet beyond on each side.
According to Inca mythology, this temple was built to appease Viracocha after he had been angered and set the nearby hills on fire, a story which is likely based on fact, considering the proximity of the volcano, now extinct.
To the
eastern side of the temple are rows of round storehouses called qullqas each measuring some 33 feet in diameter. These storehouses were used to hold grains, such as corn and quinoa. The storehouses are also unique as unlike other structures throughout the empire they are not square. On the nearby hillsides are irrigated terraces which were likely used to keep the storehouses full.
We were running behind on our schedule, so the visit to the site was limited to examining the temple itself. Alas, I would have loved to have more time to examine the other areas more closely.
We arrived at our beautiful hotel in Cusco in the late afternoon.
Our hotel, Palacio del Inka, resides in a restored 16th century colonial mansion that was built for the conqueror and first governor of Peru, Francisco Pizarro. This building was, in turn, part of the most famous temple of Inca times, Coricancha, located across the street. Original Inca masonry can be seen in the hotel’s walls across the entrance and restaurant.
It is located only four small blocks from the main square.
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