Sacsayhuamán

Sacsayhuamán is the great Inca stronghold on the hill that rises above the northern edge of Cusco, at about 3,700 m. Inca oral history recorded by the Spanish says it was begun under Pachacuti and continued by his successors; Túpac Inca is said to have recalled his father describing Cusco as a crouching lion, a big cat with the fortress as its missing head. The hilltop had been occupied since around 900 CE, before the Inca, and Cusco and Sacsayhuamán were listed together as a World Heritage Site in 1983.

What you come to see are the three massive terrace walls beside a great plaza that could hold thousands of people. The longest is about 400 m, and the walls stand around 6 m tall. They are built of enormous blocks, the largest estimated at between 128 and almost 200 tonnes, cut and fitted without mortar so tightly that in many places a sheet of paper will not go between them; the rounded corners, the interlocking shapes and the slight inward lean are thought to be why they have outlasted Cusco's earthquakes. Walk the length of the lower terrace to appreciate the scale, then climb to the top for the view over Cusco. Early Spanish witnesses described two tall round towers and buildings full of weapons on the summit; little of them survives.

The reason so little of the upper complex survives is that, after the siege of Cusco, the Spanish used Sacsayhuamán as a quarry for the colonial city, and much of the smooth masonry in Cusco's churches and mansions came from here. Only the stones too big to move were left. Some rougher upper retaining walls you see today are modern additions for erosion control. The plaza is still in use: Inti Raymi, the Inca festival of the sun, is staged here every 24 June, and the Warachikuy festival on the third Sunday of September.

Getting there

The site is on the northern outskirts of Cusco, a steep uphill walk from the historic centre. Give yourself time to adjust to the altitude before tackling the climb. Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) in Cusco is about 6 km away.