Sacsayhuaman: How it was built

This post is about how the Incas built Sacsayhuaman (as well as other sites).

There is a legend which says that the mountains, the earth as well as the wind helped carry the boulders in order to build Sacsayhuaman. As a matter of fact, this site seems to have been built by supernatural power.

However, the truth is that the Incas did it with their own hands. This is what I have found so far.

The Quarries:
Archaeology research states some of the boulders of Sacsayhuaman were already there when the site was built. Thus, stone masons used them as foundations in order to continue putting more stones.

Some stone blocks were already there!

However, most of the stones were carried from different quarries, according to chroniclers. For instance, Pedro Gutiérrez de Santa Clara says in this book “Historia de las Guerras Civiles del Perú” that one quarry was located over 20 km from Cusco.

This must have been the same mentioned by Garcilaso de la Vega who states the nearest quarry was Muyna, located about 25 km from Cusco. The nearest?  According to Garcilaso, the furthest quarry was Yucay, which is 75 km from Cusco.

How They Carried the Stones:
To make this part short, I would say man power did it.

In his book “Suma y Narracion de los Incas” Juan de Betanzos says that thousands of local people pulled ropes:

“…y mandó Topa Ynga Yupanque que toda la multitud fuese a tirar de las sogas con que venía atada…”

Garcilaso de la Vega states the same opinion:

“Para subir y bajar las piedras no tuvieron ingenio alguno; todo lo hacían a fuerza de brazos”.

In addition to man power, the Incas used ropes made of llama hair and leather, wood logs, round stones as well as levers made of bronze and wood.

Chronicler Guaman Poma depicts how Incas carried stones

Many chroniclers such as Pedro Cieza de León, Juan de Betanzos, Pedro Gutiérrez de Santa Clara and Garcilaso de la Vega wrote about a huge stone that got tired and all the Indians were never able to move it from there. This stone is well-known as Piedra Cansada or Tired Stone; in Quechua we say sayk´usqas even though there is one chronicler who calls it jayju.

To the north of the so-called fortress of Sacsayhuaman there is one huge block that most guides refer as the Piedra Cansada or Chinkana Grande. However, Ernst Middendorf wrote that the real Piedra Cansada is nearby Ollantaytambo archaeological site (I will find it then).

Piedra Cansada or Chinkana Grande in Sacsayhuaman

Tools:
Garcilaso de la Vega is the only chronicler who says something about the tools Incas used to carve the stones. He mentions a kind of iron called hihuana:

“Los canteros no tuvieron más instrumentos para labrar las piedras que unos guijarros negros que llamaban hihuana, con que las labran machucando más que no cortando”.

Furthermore, archaeologists have found around the quarries tools such as hammers made of stone, metal bars, chisels and plumbs made of metal and stone:

metal bar. Museo Casa Garcilaso

metal bars. Museo Inka

plumbs. Museo Inka

metal tools. Museo Casa Garcilaso

How the Walls were  Built:
In order to put a stone on another, the Incas built slants and then pulled rocks using ropes and logs. This is according to Bernabé Cobo and Cieza de León.

However, the best explanation I found comes from Gutiérrez de Santa Clara in his book Historia de las Guerras Civiles del Perú (1590) in which states soil was put until the level of the wall and then stones were pulled:

“…cuando estos indios labraban edificios soberbios, para poner una piedra grande sobre otra labrábanla primero, i antes de subir la piedra ponían primero mucha tierra al pie de la primera piedra asentándola hasta que emparejaba con ella. I luego ponían unos morrillos largos i gordos de pino sobre la tierra pisada  i por allí subían la otra a fuerza de brazos. I de esta manera, estando arriba, la encajaban muy bien en la otra de abajo…i después quitaban las vigas i toda la tierra”.

Incredible, isn´t it?

Well, I hope this post gives you a better understanding how the Incas built Sacsayhuaman and other buildings.

wall of the so-called fortress of Sacsayhuaman

Sacsayhuaman: When It Was Built

This and the next post is about when and how Sacsayhuaman was built.

I have found up to three hypothesis about when this site was built.

1. XV Century:

The most “popular” is told by the 16th century chroniclers. On the whole, most of them claim Sacsayhuaman was built in Inca times.

Garcilaso de la Vega says Sacsayhuaman was built by Inka Yupanki around 1400 AD.

Juan de Betanzos has the same opinion. In his book “Suma y Narración de los Incas“, he mentions Topa Ynga Yupangue as well as the name of the mountain where the site was and the quarry where the rocks were carried from.

“…salió Topa Ynga Yupangue…y parescióle que era bien que se edificase en un cerro que se dice Xacxahuaman Urco y luego por él fue hecha la traza…”

“…mandó el Ynga que acarreasen los cimientos della y acarreasen de todas las canteras de Oma y Salu y de Guairanga pueblos entorno desta ciudad el más lejano a cinco leguas…”

Even though he says the site was completed in six years, he does not mention when it was started.

Six years seem to be a short time for a site like Sacsayhuaman to be completed. Some scholars claim Sacsayhuaman was not completed when Spanish arrived here.

This could be true because Pedro Cieza de Leon says “this fortress had been begun in the days of Pachacuti; his son Topa Inca and Huayna Capac and Huascar added greatly to it”.

2. Before XV Century:

On the other hand, I have found a couple of chroniclers who claim the construction of Sacsayhuaman began as soon as Cusco was founded.

In his book “Relación para Su Majestad de lo Sucedido en la Conquista“, Sancho de la Hoz mentions an “orejón” or Inca who founded this city with its fortress:

“…cuando se fundó la ciudad que fue edificada por un señor orejón que vino de la parte de Condisuyo hacia el mar, conquistó esta tierra hasta Bilcas, y visto ser éste el mejor lugar para fijar su domicilio, fundó aquella ciudad con su fortaleza”.

“Orejón” or Big Ear was the nickname of the Incas given by Spanish because Inca royal men used to wear earrings so they had big lobes.

Miguel de Estete states in his book “Relación de la Conquista del Perú” that Gualnava founded this city and built the fortress:

“El primero que decían los indios que sujetó la tierra así…fue uno llamado Gualnava; éste fundó la ciudad del Cuzco; digo, la reedificó e hizo aquella fortaleza, de donde sojuzgó mucha parte de la tierra”.

This may have something to do with archaeological discoveries. Archaeologists have found evidence in Sacsayhuaman of the Killki culture who settled here around 1200 AD. Others say they were here between 700 to 800 AD.

3. Ancient Times:

The third version has to do with legend. People in the indigenous community of Q´espewara as well as other quechua towns to the west of Sacsayhuaman believe the site was built in ancient times.

They claim the site was built by gods and giant men or “gentiles” called Wiracocha Inkas who had supernatural powers and ruled nature, animals and human beings.

These “gentiles” had the rocks walked as they touched them with their whips.

Talking about indigenous communities around Sacsayhuaman, they have an interesting approach to the shape of this site. They claim the zigzag shape of the so-called fortress represents the thunder and this may have something to do with water.

And there is historical evidence to prove this.

Bernabé Cobo claims that local people in Inca times thought water came from thunder:

“…del agua que cae del cielo tuvieron por opinión común que lo era del trueno, y que él tenía a su cargo el proveer de ella cuando le parecía”.

He also adds that Incas worshipped not only thunder but also lightning, rainbow, and rain.

In 1613, the local chronicler Juan Santa Cruz Pachacuti draw in his book “Relación de Antiguedades de este Reino del Perú” the thunder God or Illapa or Choq´e Illa with the form of a zigzag.

According to this, some scholars claim that Sacsayhuaman was called Intip-Illapan Wasin in Inca times. This means The House of the Sun and the Thunder.

Intriguing, isn´t it?

Next post will be about how the Incas built this impressive site.

Cusco City: Shape of Puma?

In this post I tell you who first wrote about Cusco´s puma shape.

I have heard some guides in Sacsayhuaman saying the city of Cusco has the shape of a puma. As I was always intrigued about the sources of this kind of information, I read a lot of XVI and XVII-century chroniclers and this is what I found.

The puma at Pumaqchupan neighborhood

Juan de Betanzos: A Lion
The first who wrote about this subject was the spanish chronicler Juan de Betanzos. In his Suma y Narración de los Incas, written in 1551, Juan de Betanzos stated:

“Ynga Yupangue…a toda la ciudad junta nombró cuerpo de león diciendo que los tales vecinos e moradores del eran miembros del tal león”.

According to this author, it was Inca Yupanqui the first who regarded the city as a “lion”. At that time, the spanish newcomers named lion to the native puma.

Pumas fountain on Santa Catalina street

Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa: And the Head?
A few years later, in 1572, Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa in his Historia de los Incas not only mentioned the same Inca but also gave further details. He added the tail was the junction of two rivers (Tullumayo and Saphy to the south), and the puma´s body was the main city center:

“ …Topa Inga Yupangui acordosé que su padre Pachacuti habia llamado a la ciudad del Cuzco la ciudad león, que la cola era adonde se juntan los dos rios…, y que dijo quel cuerpo era la plaza y las poblaciones de la redonda, y que la cabeza le faltaba. Y así consultado…dijo que la mejor cabeza que le podria poner sería hacerle una fortaleza”.

This chronicler also wrote that Inca Yupanqui noticed this puma did not have a head and then decided to build Sacsayhuaman to the north.

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega: The Tail
My favorite chronicler, the cusqueño Inca Garcilaso de la Vega wrote a whole chapter about the description of the city of Cusco in his 1609´s Comentarios Reales de los Incas.

This native author claimed the city was a “león” (puma) due to its weapons and army.

“…y a la salida del mismo arroyo (river Saphy) y calle dijeron: cola de leon, por decir que su ciudad era…un leon en sus armas y milicia”.

Even though Inca Garcilaso de la Vega did not mention explicitly the city had the shape of a puma, he implied this when he explained the city finished to the south as a tail due to the junction of two rivers (Tullumayo and Saphy).

“…esta otro (neighbor), al mediodia de la ciudad, que se dice Pumaqchupan (1); quiere decir: cola de leon, porque aquel barrio fenece en punta, por dos arroyos que al fin del se juntan. Tambien le dieron este nombre por decir que aquel barrio (era) lo ultimo de la ciudad: quisieron honrarle con llamarle cola y cabo de leon. Sin esto, tenian leones en el, y otros animales fieros”.

Puma pointing out the four quarters

(1) Pumaqchupan is still the name of a neighborhood to the south of the main square. Nowadays, there is a paqcha or water fountain down there.

If you walk up Tullumayo avenue, you will get the street of Pumacurco which according to this shape would have been the puma´s spine. Finally, you hike to Sacsayhuaman that was the puma´s head.

How to get Sacsayhuaman

Sacsayhuaman: a Fortress?

This is the best shot I snapped at the park of the puma

Q´enqo, Wanakaure, and Killarumiyuq

Wow, next Tuesday 21st my blog turns one year. In addition, another reason to celebrate in this month is Cusco´s anniversary with the main feast of Inti Raymi on 24th as well as the Qoyllur Riti festival from 19 to 21 and Corpus Christi on 22nd and 23rd.

Therefore, I start a series of posts today recalling the best moments and events of this blog around Cusco.

Winter Solstice at Q´enqo:
Shamans gathered at this archaeological site to worship the Sun, I was told. Thus, I could not miss that meeting.
(Let´s see what happens this year).

Waiting for the Sun God in Q´enqo.

Wanakauri, A Dream Come True:
Since I read the Comentarios Reales by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega at school I always wanted to know Wanakauri because it is part of the legend of Cusco´s foundation.

One of the most sacred mountains

The Most Beautiful Carved Stone:
I was deeply impressed when seeing the shape of the moon carved in a rock at Killarumiyoq. Fortunately, it is easy to get there.

the moon carved in a huge rock

Quechua Day

It is three months now that I am learning Quechua, and just a few weeks ago I was told that the national day of this language is celebrated today, may 27th.

Quechua is Peru’s second official language. In addition, it is spoken in Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina, Chile as well as Brazil´s Amazon Basin due to migration occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. Roughly, the total of people who speak Quechua sums up 8,500,000.

Quechua in Perú:
There are Quechua-speaking communities in all of Peru’s 24 departments. The largest communities, however, are in the southern departments like Apurimac, Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Cuzco and Puno.

Actually, Quechua is not one language, but a family of 3 regional dialects which are the northern, central, and southern ones with their own phonetic, grammatical, and lexical features.

The Three Dialects:
The northern is divided into the north itself which is spoken in the departments of Cajamarca and Lambayeque, and the eastern dialect spoken in the departments of Amazonas, San Martin, Loreto (Lamas region), Ucayali, and Madre de Dios.

The central is spoken in the departments of Ancash, Huanuco, Pasco, Junin and Lima, but they are so different that people hardly understand each other.

The south is spoken from the department of Huancavelica to Puno and Moquegua, and it is divided into the ayacuchana or chanca dialect, and the cusqueña or collavina one.

The north and south dialects share some similarities (even inside each group), so understanding is slightly easier than in relation to the central.

For instance, the word “day” is punchaw or diya in Cajamarca, hunaq in Ancash, pun in Junin, punchaw in Ayacucho, and p´unchay in Cusco.

The Quechua Language in History:
The first time that Quechua appeared in written form was in 1560 in the “Lexicón y Vocabulario” by fray Domingo de Santo Tomas. The Academia Mayor de la Lengua Quechua was founded in 1953. It was declared official language in 1975, though the official Quechua alphabet yet showed up in 1985.

Now it´s accepted that Quechua did not originate in Cusco, but in the central highlands. It was not the Incas´ mother tongue, but it was adopted by them. It´s likely their original language was the Puquina. The Inca Garcilazo de la Vega claims that there were 2 languages in Inca times: the common language, and the one spoken only by the Incas. This language just disappeared a few decades after the Spanish conquest (The Royal Commentaries of the Incas, Book VII, chapter I).

Quechua means ´region´ or ´balmy area´, and it was first used by the fray Pedro Acosta in 1540 to refer to the most widely spoken language in the XV century. This name is also given to the Andean valleys.

In 1653, Spanish chronicler Bernabe Cobo noted that the similarities between Quechua and Aymara were so evident that it was undeniable that both originated from the same source which is called Quechumara.

As time goes by, Quechua is less spoken because children are compelled to learn Spanish at school.

As I walk around the Plaza Regocijo I found this message carved in a small pillar:
Allin kay pachawiñaypaq kachuk
peace prevails in the world.

Raise to Knighthood in Sacsayhuaman

The esplanade of Chukipampa in the archaeological complex of Sacsayhuaman is the scenario not only of the Feast of the Sun (Inti Raymi) in june, but also of the depiction of the Warachicuy in september every year.

Dozens of students of one of the most renown schools in Cusco, the School of Sciences, endure some physical tests to prove their courage and stamina as the Incas did in the past.

Some XVI century chroniclers wrote about this test.

The Warachicuy is held at Sacsayhuaman every september