Sacsayhuaman, an ancient fortress complex overlooking Cusco, Peru, is renowned for its mᴀssive stone walls, constructed with remarkable precision. Built with stones weighing up to 200 tons and fitted without mortar, the structure uses a unique cyclopean masonry style, featuring large, irregularly shaped stones that interlock seamlessly.
Similar techniques appear at other ancient sites like Tiahuanaco in Bolivia, leading some researchers to suggest that Sacsayhuaman may have been built by an earlier Andean culture with advanced engineering skills, predating the Inca.
While some archaeologists attribute its construction to the Inca in the 15th century, the site remains a remarkable feat of ancient engineering that challenges our understanding of pre-Columbian history.
The Fortress: Sacsayhuaman’s role as Cusco’s defender
The initial expansion of the Inca Empire provides the context for the history of Sacsayhuaman. Until the early 15th century, the presence of rival populations, especially the Chanca confederation of the central highlands, limited the ability of the Cusco kingdom to expand territorially. In the year 1438, the Chanca attacked Cusco. Pachacutec, son of Viracocha Inca and second in line to the throne after his brother Urco, led a successful defense against the invaders. For this outstanding achievement, Pachacutec was crowned as the new Inca and he began a series of military campaigns against Cusco’s neighbors, thus marking the formal beginning of the “Imperial” age of the Inca state.
To celebrate his triumphs and as part of his imperial vision, Pachacutec commanded his architects to redesign the entire urban trace of Cusco city to resemble the figure of a puma. Sacsayhuaman represented the head of the feline. Aside from its figurative role, the site also served as a center of political control and logistical support and as a stage for religious ceremonies.
This connect-the-dots image shows Sacsayhuaman strategically placed as the felines head. PH๏τo by PromPeru
Pachacutec’s rule was a lengthy one (1438-1471), but the building of Sacsayhuamann required nearly a century and was not completed until the eve of the Spanish conquistadors’ arrival to Cusco in 1533. In his post-conquest history of the Inca Empire, the mestizo chronicler Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (1539 – 1616) son of a Spanish colonial official and an elite Inca woman, wrote that the construction project demanded the lives of approximately 20,000 men over the course of several decades. Much of the stone used to build the complex was brought from quarries located 16-32 kilometers (10-20 miles) away across very hilly terrain. Without the use of wheels, vast numbers of laborers were needed for the sole purpose of transporting the huge stones. The fortress is thus representative of the Incas’ capacity to mobilize natural and human resources for imperial goals.
Sacsayhuaman was dismantled in the years following the Spanish Conquest. For generations, its stones served as construction material for Cusco’s churches and houses. It was not until the 1940s that residents began to respect the value and significance of the site and organized to protect it.
In 1944, Cusco residents started to stage reenactments of the pre-Columbian ceremony, Inti Raymi. Performed on the date of the austral solstice (June 24), the ritual pays homage to the Sun, the most important Inca deity. The key performances of Inti Raymi take place on the esplanade of Sacsayhuaman. In the present day, cultural patrimony policies to preserve the site are adamantly enforced.
