This name was a running joke with the team, since the pronunciation of Sacsayhuaman sounded a lot like a "sexy woman". Each time our guide Carlos said the name there were plenty of smirks to go around. Part of it was his delivery and accent. Carlos was well versed in the delivery of interesting facts at the end of a sentence. It went something like this: "to the Inca the most important food source WAS...(then he'd lower his voice almost to a whisper and really draw it out)...cooooooorrrrrrrrrnnnnnn.
The first couple of pictures were taken on the way to Pisaq. They are good shots of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. They valley was formed by the Urubamaba River, which runs all through the area and then eventually wrapping around Machu Picchu. The valley was sacred by the Incas due to its special geographical and climatic qualities. It was one of the empire's main areas of natural resources and one of the most important areas for maize production in Peru. In such a dry and arid area as this, it's pretty easy to see why any major water source and fertile valley would be considered sacred. It makes sense why they would think this about the valley and also worship the sun and mountain (especially the ones with glaciers). Those are all the things required to sustain life.
The first picture is a shot from Pisaq building site looking down over the valley. The second picture is a really good example of how the Incas grew their food all over their mountainous empire. Flat terraces were built all up and down hillsides so that the water would stay put and not run down the mountainside. They created these terraces by hauling richer topsoil by hand from the lower lands. The terraces allowed them to produce much more food than would normally be possible (at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet).
A little about Pisaq. It was probably built to defend the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley, while Choquequirao defended the western entrance, and the fortress at Ollantaytambo the north. Pisac controlled a route which connected the Inca Empire with the border of the rain forest.
Totally shifting gears, that is an alpaca, not a llama. But I called her "Tina" anyway. At Pisaq was this first time someone in our group got sick (Karlie). Later she figured out that she wasn't really sick, but that she was vomiting from the altitude sickness pills she started taking to prevent that very thing. Ironic. Unfortunately, if the trip leaders had not offered it a couple of times she probably wouldn't have taken it and been fine. It's another example of my philosophy of never take medicine until you actually need it, and you definitely shouldn't be taking something you've never tried before back at home unless you really need it.
After Pisaq we started heading back towards Cusco and Sacsayhuaman. This started to wear on everyone since we went from about 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. between breakfast and lunch. We were glad we brought protein bars. Sacsayhuaman was a huge fortress overlooking Cusco. Its most striking features are the massive boulders that were used to make the walls. How they moved and fitted these so tightly together is amazing.
I'm getting a little lazy, so I'm going to copy and paste this from Wikipedia because it best sums up this place.
"After Francisco Pizarro finally entered Cuzco (he was the Spaniard that conquered the Inca), his brother Pedro Pizarro described, "on top of a hill they [the Inca] had a very strong fort surrounded with masonry walls of stones and having two very high round towers. And in the lower part of this wall there were stones so large and thick that it seemed impossible that human hands could have set them in place...they were so close together, and so well fitted, that the point of a pin could not have been inserted in one of the joints. The whole fortress was built up in terraces and flat spaces." The numerous rooms were "filled with arms, lances, arrows, darts, clubs, bucklers and large oblong shields...there were many morions...there were also...certain stretchers in which the Lords travelled, as in litters." Pedro Pizarro described in detail storage rooms that were within the complex and filled with military equipment.
Because of its location high above Cusco and its immense terrace walls, this area of Saksaywaman is frequently referred to as a fortress. The importance of its military functions was highlighted in 1536 when Manco Inca lay siege to Cusco. Much of the fighting occurred in and around Saksaywaman, as it was critical to maintaining control over the city.
After returning to Cusco we had a very late lunch. By the time we finished it was sometime after 3:30. Stacey and I were pretty wiped out and decided to go back to our hotel room and rest, Face Time the kids, and get packed for the next day. Others tour a took of one of the cathedrals in Cusco. It was a nice chance to rest for two hours and prepare for the last four days of our trip...hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!