Sacsayhuaman Fortress in Peru: Complete Guide — Cachi Life | Peru Tours | Peru Travel Experts

Sacsayhuaman is arguably the most impressive Inca Ruin that remains standing today. It was originally built by the people that inhabited Cusco before the Inca, the Killke culture. Construction by the Killke culture was started in 1100 CE. Once the Inca culture inhabited the area the Inca expanded on the construction of Sacsayhuaman.

There were 3 rulers that were important during the Inca expansion of the ruin site. Those rulers were Pachacutec (the ninth Inca). The construction then continued with his son Tupac Inca Yupanqui and finished by Huayna Capac around the 15th century.

The Sacsayhuamán complex is a marvel of engineering with some of the largest blocks ever found in Incan construction pieced together so tightly that mortar was not necessary. The remaining site is what is left today from a much larger fortress that once was. There are three large sections of the remaining walls, with a large square and rectangular stones that are perfectly stacked on top of each other. Each of the stones is different in size and shape making each stone placed with a custom fit.

No one truly knows the original purpose behind Sacsayhuaman, however, some of the theories maintain that it served as an Inca fortress or a ceremonial center.

Contributing to the belief that it was an Inca sanctuary for celebration, there is an area of terracing cut into the side of Rodadero Hill, which is thought to have been a religious shrine dedicated to Pachamama (mother earth).

There is some evidence showing that this archeological site was also used as a storage depot, where the Inca kept arms, armor, foodstuffs, valuable textiles, ceramics, metal tools, and precious metals.

Sacsayhuaman was built on a platform of rock high above the capital. It is said to have taken over 50 years and 20,000 men to build it. It was built with the “mita” which was a form of required community service to the empire which required two years of service. Service starts when a male reached 18 years old.

The Inca were world-class stonemasons that beat the work of stonemasons even today. They shaped the massive rocks and moved them with a system of ropes, logs, and levers. By using smaller stones and sand to finish the stonework, they completed the look that is seen today.

The first structure of Sacsayhuaman was made using mud and clay. It wasn’t until later that the Inca leaders replaced the original clay bricks with the massive stones that are still standing today. Many of the rocks left standing today can rise over 4 meters tall and weigh over 100 tons.

As we stated previously the fortress has three different terraces. The walls can rise up to 18 meters and span over 540 meters. Each wall has up to 40 segments which allowed the Inca defense to catch attackers in a crossfire.

It is well known that Sacsayhuaman was used as a fortress during the Spanish invasion of Peru. The Spanish, led by Francisco Pizarro, conquered Cusco after killing Inca Atahualpa. After capturing Cuzco, Pizarro sent his army to attack Sacsayhuaman using his horses to get close and ladders to climb the walls. The Spanish were successful in this attack and took over the fortress.

After the Inca were defeated, Sacsayhuaman was dismantled by the Spanish, in order to destroy anything that was attributed to the Inca Empire. The remainder of the structure was covered in dirt and mud, in order to ensure that the construct would no longer be visible.

Originally published at https://www.cachilife.com on September 17, 2020.